HG llc Baseball

Braves rule 5

Nice digg here from the National Farms Authority on whom is on their rule 5 list. Couple of solid players with speed that really are due for their shot.

So, you wanna read about Cleats

MLB Blogs has quite a list of makers and their offerings. Its worth a look if you are in the market.

Mariners Ex-Starter Does Well

Jesse Sanchez at the Park on Alex Rodriguez and his role from most controversial to MVP in nearly the same breath.

There is a lot that can be said about A Rod. Good, Bad and Ugly. But in any area his is consistent. Consistent on performance and consistent on being himself, a professional athlete. Voted the Most Valuable Player is no small achievement. What many fans forget is that professional athletes are in business for themselves. Just like the handyman who fixes the drains in your home.

Players need to make money to pay their bills just like everyone else. As with all small businesses with less than 5 employees, the fee for the service is related to the demand. You would not speak lowly of a finish carpenter asking $100 per hour when his work is excellent, even if the market for average finish carpenters is $60 per hour. No, premium work is worth the wait and the extra.

Granted, professional athletes work on a different pay scale than 95% of Americans. But whose fault is that? It is the fans that pay the for the tickets that pay the Players and Owners.

NYTP in Singapore

Baseball in Singapore

The more you look around, the more you find baseball making its way into more hearts

Destroyed by Fire Last Year, Historic Baseball Glove Factory Stands Strong Again

Nokona rebuilds

Without a doubt the true temper of the baseball spirit. What baseball means to a town. Not just in terms of jobs and commerce, but of participation and intergration as well.

The Most Expensive Baseball Glove Ever Is a Hard Sell

But most attempts to persuade big leaguers to adopt the new design are running against deep attachments top players have with their existing gloves

As a parent and former player I understand the level of quality of the glove goes along with the price. As a consumer I realize that sometimes the best is not always the most expensive.

Another consideration of getting the Players in the big show to change is not only the brand loyalty they grew up with but also the contractual restraits they have in their relationships with glove manufacturers.

I am hopeful that the Players are taking an active role in the gloves they promote. Even A Rod has been quoted on turning down the "Italian Stallion" as the cost to the average Parent is just too much. As a spectator I have noticed more A2000 gloves on pitchers that A2k or A3000, coincidence or conscience, my bank is the latter.

BESR for the Physics Folks

A detailed, with formulas, graphs and everything on the physics of BESR (Ball Exit Speed Ratio) the relationship to BBS (Batted Ball Speed) along with the current equipment used to measure. Eveyone should read this at least once.

Full text here

BESR simplified

The best description of the 2006 BESR changes are found at the Alabama High School Athletic Association

When purchasing bats, individuals can now be assured that no matter what materials are used in the bat composition, it is legal if it has the BESR certification mark,” said Elliot Hopkins, NFHS assistant director. “Whether the bat composition is titanium, ceramic or whatever, it can be used if it has the BESR mark.” ,

Full text here

Relay to the Cut Off Man

Off the wall in left center, the fielder scoops up the ball as the runner approaches third. The Catcher has aligned the cut off man for a straight ball path from the fielder to home plate. Center fielder drills the ball to the cutoff man with all his might. Cutoff man does the two step shuffle, catch, shuffle throw and off goes the frozen rope to home in plenty of time for the tag.

In modern baseball from youth thru seniors, moments like these are proudly displayed in flash on Myspace and Youtube. Photos, Video and Blogging hit the information highway at lighting speeds to announce the play of the day.

What many fail to see or talk about in their Myspace feeds is what actually made this play successful. Was it merely the excellent throwing arms of the players? Was the runner a bit on the slow side when rounding the bases?

Success is based on a series of practiced events that culminate in one play. First, the fielder controls the ball while the cutoff man raises their hands to make a good target and keeps his eyes on the fielder. The catcher is guiding the relay man to make a straight path for the ball to follow. Now comes the relay, simple as a catch throw, catch and tag.

To prepare the relay man for what they need to accomplish it really breaks down to the basics, catch and throw. Added is the excitement of the game and the rush the players put upon themselves to complete the process quickly.

Not all the different from warm up. Players are standing with their goal of throwing a ball to their teammate to the comfortable catch area between the shoulders and above the belly button and below the ears.

Now comes the dance of the relay man. Their first responsibility is to catch the ball. Then turn the head and hips to acquire the target. In our case, the catcher. As the core is wound they finish their turn and release the ball towards the target. The dance is where only one portion of this entire event goes awry from the warm up.

So much of baseball is situational. Even the situations themselves have variations within variations. Aside from playing hundreds of games to gain the experience of those situations or viewing hours of Myspace video feeds there are drills that cover the basics without having to go into practice stifling situations.

We have already covered the warm up and the goal of throwing. To add the twist, set up a relay with three players. Spaced 30 to 40 feet apart, the man in the middle practices  the relay dance. This is where the coaching comes in. View the footwork and core loading. Make corrections as needed but try to keep the ball moving. With the player concentrating on the catch and throw, following instruction during this time will help the player from compound information. Compounding information forces the player to react as opposed to think about their movements, which is also called muscle memory.

For teams with players under 18, everyone should have a stint in the middle. Who you may think will be a catcher for life could ultimately become a world class short stop. It is best to keep in mind that all players play all positions until they are either on scholarship or paid to play.

With all your players having the dance figured out, it is time to add some twists. Creating relay races are a great way to add excitement and more of a game situation to the drill. Create conditions that engage the players for several minutes.

Relay the ball down and back then rotate the players. The first relay team to rotate through all the players wins. As there are only 3 to a side, you may consider prizes for the winning side such as flavored water or small packages of sunflower seeds. It is not the prize that counts, it is the victory.

To work alignment into the drill, after player 1 releases the ball, have them shift 5 to 10 feet left or right while maintaining their distance from the relay man. As the relay man releases the throw to player 3, player 1 begins giving direction to the relay man; shout left or right to bring the player into alignment. Player 3 throws back to the relay and repeats what player 1 has done.

This drill takes up quite a bit of room but makes for a sure fire way to practice the dance with more situations padded into the exercise. Add to all the commotion is that your fielders are now having to work a little harder at spotting the relay man as they are on the move.

At the end of the day if the players had fun, the coaches had fun, everyone leaves happy, a little tired and wanting to return again. As the coach you alone make practices as fun and exciting as going to the circus or as dreary as doing multiplication tables. Opt for the circus and you will be the pied piper for the team where the players and parents will gladly follow.
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Ortiz at First

Ortiz Will Start at First; Youkilis Will Take a Seat

In this article they was the impression that Ortiz may not be the best man on the roster for that position.

I think its safe to say that Big Papi proved himself to everyone during the world series that being humble before the task is priceless.