Throw Strikes

Great advice for a pitcher, no matter what age.

Being involved with Youth Baseball, both Travel and Rec, I see a lot of boys going to the mound without the proper instruction and/or development. In the case of Rec, many coaches simply put any boy who can throw a baseball fairly hard on the mound. But pitching is more than just throwing hard. And while that attribute is always something you like to see, it doesn't pay if the ballplayer throws hard, but every pitch is in the dirt or two feet over the head of a kid who's 4-ft tall!

If you coach and you are like me, I'd rather see a boy get up against us and hit a ball over a fence for a grand slam than walk in the runs. When I see BB in the book, I cringe. That's why the simple advice is "Throw Strikes".

So how do you approach pitching? Keep in mind I'm sure others could explain this much better than I can. This is my simple plan.

Mechanics are important, even at a young age. You want your pitchers to be consistent in everything they do - whether it's a wind-up or from the stretch. My suggestion is to get boys winding up - it gives them more momentum towards home plate and instills the proper mechanics.

Next is the step. Every step should be towards home plate - not 1st or 3rd base. You see a lot of inexperienced boys dropping their foot in any position. This needs to be corrected. By placing the foot in the proper position and direction, you have a better chance of the ball going to the intended spot.

And now the throw. Arm back, palm down, bring arm up into throwing position and release - this should be the same everytime. Same spot, same release point. And the other arm should be extended towards the plate as the arm is back, so you maintain proper balance.

The grip - I deal with 9 and 10 year olds. Most have no idea about a grip. Teach a four-seam or two-seam fastball. Your more experienced boys can also be taught a simple change. Use a palmball-type change if their hands are small, or a circle change for bigger mitts. The change is sometimes a challenge since they are holding the ball a little tighter. They tend to hold onto it a split second too long and bounce a lot of them. Practice. One thing with all boys is get them to stop squeezing the ball like juice will come out of it. It should be held as hard as they would an egg. In fact, you could bring a couple of eggs to practice (hard-boiled - but don't tell them) and have them hold those as a reference. And a note about curves, etc. - If you teach this to any boy under the age of 15 - then you should be ashamed of yourself.

The follow-through - sometimes the hardest part to teach, whether it's throwing or batting. Try a bucket drill to help teach.

Now throw the ball over the plate. Do not worry if it is hit, that's why the boys behind you are scattered about and have gloves on (some of them may be day-dreaming though).

Most of all, show the kids some enthusiasm and confidence in their skills. In Rec I have a rule; I will try any boy out on the mound during a game (one inning the first go) if they can prove to me in practice they can get the ball over the plate consistently. After practice I let the boys who want to try throw me 10 pitches. If 6-7 are good pitches, they get 10 more. If they can't find the plate or reach the dish, they are told to practice on their own until the next time. And when they get that chance, and their parent is looking at you quizzically because they can't believe their son is pitching, and the kid gets his first out - it's what it's all about.

Last Note of the Day -
I see a lot of coaches 'hiding' boys in the outfield in Rec- Rec is about getting the boys involved and excited about playing baseball. Let them play an infield position a couple of innings. You will build their self-esteem and make them feel like more of the team. It's a game. Let the kids play it and have fun.

Why Soulslam?

Good question. If you see the blog's address, it's Soulslam in the URL. So why that name? Where did it come from? An epiphany perhaps? A sublime thought? No.

Soulslam is just one of the many bands I was in when I was younger. It also happens to the favorite name of a band I ever came up with. The band was exceptional, but alas, did not last long. Oh well.

Here's a list of band names (that I was in) I can find in the traps of my mind, in no particular order:

Soulslam
Blazing Blonde (could've been huge)
Vatican Bronze
Slugfest (angry industrial)
Scabeater (teenage punk)
Slam Generation Zero (a reformed Blazing Blonde, wearing better clothes)
Erotic City
Whores of Babylon
Cheyenne
Heartless Rex
Joe
Rockets Redglare (USA Punk)
Wheelbarrow Sam (cover band)

I'm sure there are more, I just can't remember them.

Which reminds me of a joke:
"what do you call a guy who hangs around musicians?"
"A Drummer"

Drummers love that joke.

Blog and Roll

May Day

May 1st is the second most important holiday to the Druids. Don't know any Druids? You're not alone.

Dance around the Maypole!

Stop the Elevators

What a strange title for a post. Why would we stop an elevator? Otis works hard to keep them going up and down.

So, Friday, my family and I decide to venture across the river to NYC - take the kids to some adventure. We picked the Empire State Building (ESB). Good choice. I've never been there. Is that strange? Since I don't come from Idaho or Indiana or some other place far and away (I was born in one of the five boroughs that make up NYC and lived in NJ forever, a scant 20 miles from the city), I kind of take many of NY's tourist attractions for granted.

We get to 5th Ave, and the line is wrapping around the block. OK - let's do the combo NY SkyRide and ESB ticket. Few more bucks, no waiting on a sidewalk - I'm in. Take the NY SkyRide exhibit (kind of a virtual copter ride) and we get on the LINE to get to the bank of elevators to go to 80th floor. From their, it's another elevator to 86 and the observation deck. More lines. OK. Get on the lift (that's what they call them in merry ol' England) and up we go. And when we get there, we cannot move. Human gridlock. And it looks like the North view is closed off. And there are a lot of weirded out people waiting...for....for...THE DIVA HERSELF, Ms. Mariah Carey! (Sound the trumpets for the indifference I feel.)

And from the scuttlebutt and rumors and general talk talk going on, she's here to light the ESB in the hues of Pink and Purple (very manly) and she's also late in arriving, and there are a lot of weirded out people up here waiting to catch a glimpse. I'm not a fan, so we just go about our business, look in the directions that us mortals are allowed to view and let's go.

So we leave 86, the guy (who is this guy?) says, you can walk down to 80, it will be quicker. OK. We walk. No problem. Then we get to 80, where we, along with about 250 others are told 'the elevators are stopped for Ms. Carey, who is on her way!' WHAT? You have closed down an elevator system because some skeezer in a too tight mini needs to get to the deck? Did I hear you right? Funny thing is, they must have stopped people from coming up, because that line was about 35 strong. But the line behind us keeps growing, and growing, while we wait and wait. And wait. About an hour. And where is Ms. Carey. Cakin' on make-up in my opinion. Finally, they let the mortals off Planet Chaos - and back to Earth NYC. I hope your album full of watered down, MOR, dull pop music tanks, you B**ch!

Anyway, went to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. for chow in Times Square. Just like the rubes. Good eats! Life is like a box of chocolates after all!

Blog, Forrest, blog!

Lost and Found

Well, LOST was back on last night at 10PM on the EC - and this episode was very interesting. I'm sure the message boards are lit up with theories, questions and general chaos.

What we know: Ben and Widmore are very acquainted with each other. And Ben has vowed to kill Penny for the death of his daughter. Sayid hooked up with Ben as his assassin as a result of the death of his wife. The game of World Domination, RISK, was very interesting, since "Australia is the key" as Hugo Reyes points out (or maybe the series writers are big Seinfeld fans). Hurley (aka Hugo) is a very important piece of the puzzle to Ben and Locke. Locke would seem to be the island's 'son'. Jack is getting very ill, was he poisoned? And the Monster has been unleashed. Ben is very handy with a blackjack. And Widmore considers the island to be his, and he doesn't strike me as a guy who let's things go.

Maybe I'll think up some other things after I watch it a second time.

Hankenstein

Yes! I waited and waited all of three weeks (I counted on my fingers and toes and I was pretty close) but the day has come! Hank Steinbrenner aka Hankenstein has come to life! It's alive, alive!

When some band said 'meet the new Boss, same as the old Boss', I'm sure they didn't know how prophetic they were. Especially since they're from England where they play games like football (soccer) and snooker.

So the new Boss gets all jiggy with the press when the team is sittin' at .500 - which is an ultimate don't in the land of the interlocking NY. It's like 1978 all over again.

All hail Hankenstein!
Here's to the man who will give me many moments of absolute glee over this season and many more to come, while Yankee fans, the media and poor Joba are pulled here and there.

Blog Like the Frog, yeah the Frog

The Mercy Rule

That's the rule in place in youth baseball and softball where one team is done if the other team scores X number of runs over the score of the other team in a set number of innings. Today my 9U team got mercied for the first time. As Billy Crystal said "it's not fun, it's not funny".

Here's my vex. We are a town team of 8 and 9 year olds playing against a division of (mostly) club teams, comprised of the better boys from multiple towns. In most cases, the parents pay a "tuition" of a large sum of money. Now, I have no truck with the whole club vs. town thing. We play, we make the plays and get the hits we are competitive. I hate being mercied though. Maybe it's a character fault.

Anyhow, we are building a program and it takes time. I know that. It's just so odd how so few kids come out to play ball anymore. You see it in rec - boys and girls there for their parents I think. No passion. If it's not a celphone, iPod or video game system, it is a second class thought for these kids. And in 20 years, we'll see the fruit of this generation. Big fat fruit, ripe with sarcasm and know-it-all attitude, and juicy with instant gratification and expectations, not for a job well done, but because it should just be.

Until then I'll do my part to get the kids outside and playing ball. Maybe we should have a "No Video Game Worldwide" day. Just a thought.

Bloggin' La Vida Loca.