Baseball Drills: August 2009

Softball Batting Tips

Softball hitting is a very important area of softball, if not the most important. Teams rely on good hitters to score runs for them and lead them a victory. Without good softball hitters who are able to produce runs, a team has to rely too baseball on it's pitching and defense. Therefore, it's vital that softball players know what makes a hitter so great and follow her habits. The following are some very good softball hitting tips that a batter should keep in mind next time she's at the plate, because these habits usually produce great results.

Tip 1 - Spend twice as much time on your hitting as you do on your defense. Hitting is a tough skill to learn, refine and master. It takes a lot of time to become a highly skilled hitter and ultimately, team selections are often made based on who can contribute offensively.

Tip 2 - Use a light, short bat. Most hitters think that a bigger bat gives them more power. This would only be true if that hitter could swing that heavier bat at the same speed as a lighter one. Force equals mass times acceleration, so go for more acceleration; added mass is too difficult to move correctly. The key is to use a bat that you can get through the strike zone both quickly and with the proper technique.

Tip baseball - Go from soft to hard focus. Before a pitch, watch the whole pitcher and don't focus on a specific area (soft focus) and as the pitcher prepares to deliver, zero in to the point of release (hard focus) and try to pick up the rotation of the ball.

Tip 4 - During batting practice, work on hitting the ball to the right side of the field. If there is a runner on second and nobody out during the game and you need to move the runner to third, a ground ball or fly ball to the right side could get the job done (instead of bunting). The advantage is that you can also punch a hit through the right side.

Tip 5 - Great drill for those who are pulling their head out on the swing (excellent for young players). Take batting practice with the back eye closed or covered. This forces the hitter to follow the ball all the way in with the front eye. Thus, they tend to keep their head down throughout the swing.

If you're having trouble excelling at hitting a softball, then the above softball batting tips are for you. They will help you become a more dangerous hitter and get you to reach a higher level. Follow the above softball tips and you'll see that you're hitting game is really improving!

Marc Dagenais is a softball peak performance coach that provides softball tips, softball drills, and information on techniques for hitting, pitching, coaching, and training through his blog at http://www.softballperformance.com/blog

He also helps softball players and coaches improves their game by sharing with them the tips and strategies used by the world's best softball players and coaches to achieve extraordinary performances. You can sign-up to get his FREE Softball Tips at http://www.softballperformance.com/softball-tips.html . Go Sign-up Now!

Indoor Softball Drills

In many of the northern states softball practice has baseball begin before the weather outside is nice enough for practice. So, the first few practices have to be held indoors in a gymnasium. Thats okay because there are plenty of indoor softball drills that players can practice in order to get ready for the softball season.

Hitting

Its impossible to get players any real batting practice against a live pitcher during indoor softball drills. However, players can begin to get themselves back into the hitting mode by hitting off a tee and taking batting practice off a pitching machine.

Hitting from a Tee

Many older players think its a waste of time to hit a softball off a tee. All the players can think about is when they were 6 years old and playing tee ball. Once the role of this drill is explained to the players, they see the usefulness of it and are willing do it.

While hitting off a tee a player should be concentrating on her stance and the position of her baseball and arms. Then the player needs to make sure she steps forward with her front foot, keeps her back foot planted, and swings the bat well all the way through the ball. She also needs to be sure to keep her head down on the ball.

A coach can actually help a player be a better hitter by watching her swing while hitting off a tee and then correcting any areas that need correcting.

Hitting off a Machine

Pitching machines are a great tool for indoor softball drills. The speed can be set precisely so a player can get into a rhythm hitting the ball. During these hitting drills a player should try to hit the ball right back at the pitching machine.

Also, hitting off a pitching machine is a perfect opportunity for players to practice bunting. This is a lost art with most of todays players. However, if they start practicing bunting indoors then they should be able to do it well enough in the games.

Fielding and Throwing

There is almost an unlimited amount of indoor softball drills players can do that involve fielding and throwing. These drills will help the players get into shape to play softball and the drills will also help a coach evaluate his players.

Fielding without Gloves

This drill requires players to field the ball in their bare hands without a glove. Players line-up in two lines facing each other. Then the first player in one of the lines rolls the ball to the first player in the other line. The player who rolled the ball runs to the back of the opposite line. Then the other player fields the ball and rolls it to the next player.

During this drill players should concentrate at getting square with the ball, bending with their knees, and cradling the ball into their bodies. Its important that players not roll the ball too slowly or too fast. So a coach needs to monitor the drill to make sure the rolling is acceptable. A coach should also watch the drill to make adjustments to players fielding techniques.

Four Corners

This indoor drill requires players to stand at each corner of the gym. One player begins the drill by throwing the ball to the player at the diagonal corner of the gym. That player catches the ball and then throws to the player on the same side of the gym. Then the next throw goes diagonally again so that all four players have caught and thrown the ball.

Players should work on their crow hop while throwing the ball. They should also catch the ball with two hands and get the ball out of their glove quickly. This drill should be very crisp when it is practiced well.

The Benefits of Indoor Softball Drills

Indoor softball drills can pretty much simulate anything that a real game will throw a players way. In fact, many coaches like to begin the season practicing inside because it allows for more structure and it also helps the players to get closer because they are in a confined space. There are many great indoor softball drills that players can practice.

Coach Becky has been coaching softball for well over a decade. She's constantly on the lookout for new softball-spot.com indoor softball drills You can get instant access to a sample of her softball practice plans by visiting her website:

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Softball Batting Drills

Ask any softball coach, and they'll tell you that softball pitching and hitting are baseball two most important areas of the game. Without one or the other, the chances of winning a game get very slim. So it's a very good idea that you take the time to practice hitting more than any other part of the sport, besides pitching if that's your role on the team. Here are some very good softball hitting drills that you can use to practice softball hitting:

Drill 1 - Back Knee Down

Purpose: To develop upper-body strength and quickness. The drill helps the player stop lunging by eliminating lower-body movement. The drill can reduce upper cutting. It emphasizes keeping the barrel above the hands and using correct timing.

Procedure: Use a low T for this drill. The hitter kneels on a towel baseball the back knee at a 90-degree angle, keeping the shoulders on a level plane. The drill can also be done off a soft toss. The player sees the bat hit the ball.

Drill 2 - Hitting Fungoes

Purpose: To develop proper hand action, weight shift, downward swing, and follow-through.

Procedure: Players who are waiting on deck hit fungoes to the fielders on their side of the infield. Include up to four hitters in each of the three hitting stations. Hitters rotate to the back of the line of another hitting station after taking a certain number of swings. After a complete rotation of the hitters through all three hitting stations, one line can rotate to the infield spots and the infielders can come in to bat. Concentrate on hitting the top half of the baseball with a short, downward swing.

Drill 3 - Draw a Line

Purpose: To practice moving the hands to the ball and to develop speed and a strong lead arm.

Procedure: The batter assumes her stance without a bat and with her lead hand in its normal position with the thumb up. The hitter draws a line across her chest and then extends to the ball.

Drill 4 - Snap Backs

Purpose: To develop quick hands, a small stride, and forearm and wrist strength.

Procedure: The partner stands six feet from the batter and tosses balls in rapid succession to the contact point of the strike zone. The hitter is standing up and drives one ball after another into a net by taking her swing and snapping the bat back to the starting position in preparation for the next toss.

Drill 5 - Quick Hands

Purpose: To develop quick hands, the backswing, and a compact swing.

Procedure: The tosser stands in front of the batter and behind a screen about 15 feet in front of the hitter. The batter starts with the bat pointing at the tosser and must quickly get the hands back and forward to hit the tossed ball.

Hitting a Baseball - Using the Gaps

How do you tell if baseball hitter is creating the correct energy and movement at bat? One simple way (there are obviously baseball technical ways) is to observe where most of the balls are traveling while hitting a baseball. If a hitter is directing balls into the gaps (regardless if they are ground balls or fly balls) he's on the right track. On the flip side, if a lot of balls are being sliced down the opposite field line or hooked to the pull side, some mechanical alterations are necessary. Two common causes are found here:

1. The most common root cause of hooking or slicing while hitting a baseball is improper control of the front side of the body. A good baseball swing begins with the movement of the back part of the body (specifically the back knee and hip). During this brief period of time the front side of the body (basically all joints on the front side) need to remain relatively unmoved. The purpose of this is so that the back side of the body moves towards the play. If the front side moves at the same time as the back side of the body, momentum is being taken away from the pitch. It is then more difficult for the athlete to keep his bat moving through the zone. Instead, the bat cuts across the zone and creates a lot of side spin on the baseball as well.

2. Another cause of hooked or sliced balls is how the hands enter and pass through the strike zone. The path any hitter needs to take with the hands is a direct and straight path into the hitting zone. Unfortunately, the problem of a weak front side (described in #1) tends to drag the hands away from the body. The end result is hands that progress through the zone in a sweeping fashion. This type of problem only increases the likelihood that side spin will occur while hitting a baseball.

Nate Barnett is owner of BMI Baseball designed to improve the mental game in athletes. Come download a free ebook on dealing with failure in baseball

Coaching Baseball Batters - 3 Common Baseball Swing Mistakes and Corrections

Coaching youth and high school baseball batters requires a watchful eye and close attention to detail. Baseball coaches must identify and correct any flaw in batting hitting mechanics. Players should not be allowed to practice their swing over and over without correcting their mistakes. Good baseball coaches are always on the constant lookout for any bad habits that a young player may develop. Here I discuss three of the most common hitting mechanical flaws and my approach to correcting each. Here are three common mistakes I often see at my baseball camps and when I observe youth games and youth practices.

1) BARRING THE FRONT ARM - The batter locks or stiffens the front arm as the swing begins. Many young batters baseball have assumed the correct stance and launch positions but have a tendency to tighten up as the swing begins. The barring of the front arm causes the swing to loop and to be too long. The batter has great difficulty taking the bat to the ball and making contact unless the ball is thrown exactly on the swing plane. The proper swing has a "short stroke" or path to the ball. The best way to correct barring of the front arm is to make sure that the batter keeps the front arm elbow bent or at an "L" position prior and during the swing.

2) STEPPING OUT OR PULLING OFF PITCHES - I often see baseball with young kids in our summer camp program. They always step out or their front side often flies open before the ball arrives. This batter has great difficulty making contact. Until this flaw is corrected, the batter will only become frustrated and embarrassed. To keep the front shoulder in the proper "closed" position, teach the batter to keep the front shoulder closed and directed at the second baseman for right-handed batters and toward the shortstop for left-handed batters. The stepping out is a more difficult flaw to fix. Having the batter pick the front heel off the ground and stepping just slightly toward the plate may help. I frown on putting obstructions behind the front foot to keep it from moving backward, although many coaches do this to stop this bad habit. I often use the "step in and hit: drill with a hit trainer, Bat Action Machine or batting tee. The batter assumes a position back away from the ball target that requires the batter to step toward the ball in order to make contact. If the batter does not step toward or into the ball, the batter will not be able to hit the ball.

3) UPPER CUT SWING - The upper cut swing may be caused by two things that are quickly identified Dropping the hands and back leg collapse can both cause the batter to swing upward. Make sure that the batter keeps the hands at the top of the strike zone and does not drop the hands or dip the back side shoulder during the swing. The back leg should be keep "tall or straight" to prevent back side dipping which can also cause an upper-cut swing. Two great drills that we use to stop this is the "Zone Circle" tee or soft-toss drill. We make a circle the side of our batting cage by inter-weaving a white or yellow rope in the net. The batter must hit or drive the ball off the tee or from a soft-toss into the circle. The batter must have a level swing and keep the front side in to be able to hit the zone.

COACHING POINT: Make sure that the batter is not over striding. This too can cause a batter to pop up. The batter must concentrate visually on the top half or middle of the ball to make good contact.

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Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, the "Hit2win Company". Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Dixon is widely recognized as an expert in the area of baseball training, practice and skill development. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of several of baseball and softball's most popular training products such as the Original BatAction Hitting Machine, SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, Original Hitting Stick, Hit2win Trainer, SKLZ Target Trainer, SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, Batting Cage Builder, the American Baseball Directory and the Hit2win Baseball Coaches Monthly Newsletter. Dixon has 5 blogs related to baseball training including the BaseballCoachingDigest Blog, CoachesBest Training Blog, Hurricane Machine Training Blog, Batting Cage Buyers Blog, and the Bat Action Training Blog.

Tendonitis and Steroids and Professional Baseball

The use of steroids in baseball and every other sport has upped the ante for injury and tendonitis.Steroid use creates larger, stronger muscles but does not directly create stronger tendons.

What role do steroids play in causing tendonitis injury?

Partly, it's a matter of physics.Larger muscles put more pull on the tendons they attach to. As muscles get bigger and bigger and stronger and stronger, they can create more pull force than a baseball can happily handle.

This strains the tendon, and can help lead to increased wear and tear injury, as well as increased possibility of a tendon rip which usually happens in the area where the muscle starts turning into tendon.

It's hard enough for tendons to withstand the forces regularly placed upon them by top level athletes. When you add in the extra strength from Steroid enhanced muscle, this can set an athlete up for increased risk of injury.

Steroid enhanced sports and injures aren't any worse than any other kind of injury, but steroid use plays a role on several levels.

If the muscle growth was slow the tendon could possibly have time to strengthen itself and keep up. But generally with steroid use and weight training, muscle growth out paces the natural strengthening of the muscle's tendon.

Not only that, but the sudden increase in strength often causes a steroid user to increase the weights they are pushing as fast as they can.This does stimulate the body to pack on more muscle, but also causes strain and a large baseball of micro-tear.

And then the body does what it always does around injury large or small. It kicks in an Inflammation response which hastens the Pain Causing Dynamic.More tightness, more pain, more damage to the tendon, all add up to cause 'injury'.

Add to that all the muscle tightness and wear and tear from the athlete's normal activity routine, and it's a perfect environment for developing Tendonitis.

Even before the athlete feels any pain, this is all happening.The body feels pain and reacts to it, even if it doesn't tell the conscious brain about it.That's why most of the time injury just comes out of the blue, like the athlete does the same thing they'be been doing, but this time it caused pain that won't go away.

So by the time a steroid using athletes feel pain, the damage and pain causing elements are already firmly entrenched.One more throw, or one bench press, rarely injures an athlete.It is a pattern that has been growing and growing and then that one last pitch just sends it over the edge.

Steroids themselves don't cause Tendonitis, but due to their effects on the body and what the athlete does with their new strength, Tendonitis can be quickly helped along.

Joshua Tucker, B.A, C.M.T is The Tendonitis Expert. He educates, leads workshops, and trains individuals how to ELIMINATE their Tendonitis related issues like Tennis Elbow, Carpal Tunnel, Plantar Fasciitis, and Wrist Tendonitis. Joshua says "When you have tried all the usual options and they have failed, it's still not to late to become pain free. It's also never too early to start."

For more of the RIGHT information about how to Eliminate your Tendonitis, no matter how bad it is or how long you've had it, visit http://www.TendonitisExpert.com

Baseball Pitching Mechanics - Balance and Posture

When you pitch, it is imperative that you have great balance and direction. Without proper balance, you will have a baseball time finding the plate. Just as important, when all of your energy isn't going in the right direction (toward home plate) you will find it difficult to throw strikes.

There are five basic rules to find perfect balance and posture when you pitch from the stretch and the windup. I will explain these simple guidelines to you from the stretch position.

Step #1 Start with your feet in a closed posture. Place both feet together, put the groove in your left shoe into your right shoe, like a puzzle piece. Then spread your feet shoulder width apart.

Step #2 Slightly bend your knees. The key here is to bend your knees deep enough to allow your head to stay level (instead of going up and down or to the sides) when you're throwing from flat ground. If you drop your knee as you're heading toward the plate, then your energy goes down instead of toward home plate which is ideal.

Step #3 Place ball and glove in the center of your body with relaxed shoulders. Ball and glove should stay in the middle for balance. When your glove is too far to either side, you will be off balance when you lift your leg.

Step #4 Place your chin over your shoulder. It is important that you don't put your chin on your shoulder. Many pitchers have the tendency to tilt their head to the left or right when they explode to foot strike. If you lead with your front shoulder, in a closed position to foot strike, you will more likely maintain your balance.

Step #5 Keep your shoulders slightly closed. If you're a righty, your left shoulder should be closed. Maintain that posture as well to foot strike.

Dan Gazaway has instructed well over 1,000 baseball pitchers in the last seven years. His expertise is teaching proper pitching mechanics to athletes at any skill level. Coach Gazaway is a certified pitching instructor as he has baseball his coaching certification from the National Pitching Association. They too focus on pitching workout programs and pitching technique.

Hitting Mechanics - 400 Swings Per Hour

I recently posted the details about hitting fundamentals (stance, loading, bat speed generation, swing, follow through) and the feedback was pretty consistent. "Great description, but where are the drills to perfect the swing!" Truth be told, the drills we do can be found all over the web. The secret sauce is not in some special new drill, but in organizing the hitting practice to maximize the fundamentally correct swings to develop proper muscle memory.

Before I put together the 60 minutes of drills, let me reiterate that perfect practice makes perfect play. If the players are not swinging with correct fundamentals all they are doing is reinforcing bad muscle memory. Bad muscle memory means there will be "holes" in the swing, which translates into offensive outs and player frustration. Perfect practice creates good muscle memory that means more hard hit balls.

What we do is set up six different hitting stations around the field and divide the team into six groups (try to keep only two players per group). To get 400 swings in 60 minutes using six stations for one hour allocates 10 minutes per station. The pitching machine station can only provide about 40 swings in the allotted time. This leaves us with 360 swings for 5 stations; therefore, you must average 72 perfect swings per station per player.

Here are some example stations:

1. Overload / Underload practice swings: 5 sets of 10 overload and 10 underload = 100 swings focused on bat speed. Practice swings without a ball develops a good fundamental swing with good balance.

2. Pitch location tee work: 2 sets of 10 inside, 10 middle, and 10 outside = 60 swings focused on hitting location and driving the ball to all fields. Working off a tee adds the element of hitting the ball without ball baseball so the batter can focus on another element, in this case driving the ball to all fields. By removing the ball movement a batter can develop good balance and contact point location to be able to hit to all fields.

3. Semicircle soft toss: coach soft tosses 10 balls from the front, 10 from the side, 10 from behind, 10 from the side, and 10 from the front = 50 swings focused on hitting the center of the ball. Coach soft toss adds the element of a slow moving ball with the batter focusing on hitting the center of the ball at the contact point for line drives into the outfield.

4. One handed tee work: 3 sets of 10 front hand only and 10 back hand only = 60 swings focused on hand movement through the hitting zone. The front hand guides the bat through the hitting zone while the back hand provides the power to the swing. This drill isolates the hand movement through the hitting zone.

5. Wiffle ball short toss: 3 sets of 10 inside, 10 middle, and 10 outside = 90 swings focused on putting the whole swing together but with the ball moving at a slower speed than during the game. At a short distance, the coach can locate the pitch at different positions within the strike zone to provide additional batting practice for hitting to all fields.

6. Batting practice off a machine: 40 swings focused on timing the swing. By mixing up machine balls from different manufactures, the ball movement and speed are slightly varied to simulate different pitcher's ball movement. It is very difficult to teach hitting mechanics off a machine, but can be very effective with batter timing.

There is nothing special about this set of stations other than you can get a lot of swings very quickly and isolate the individual hitting mechanics. We will use different station drills throughout the season to provide variety and work on specific skills.

What I want to encourage is that you, as a coach, think about how to maximize the number of swings per practice by baseball the players into smaller groups and use multiple hitting stations. What drills do you know that fall into these broad categories? Okay, switch them in for variety.

Youth-Athlete.org (http://www.youth-athlete.org) provides insights for parents, coaches, and young athletes around the world. Youth-Athlete also provides tournament listings (http://www.youth-athlete.org/tournament), suggestions to parents and coaches that enable a successful season, more on hitting mechanics (http://www.youth-athlete.org/blog/page/Hitting-Mechanics.aspx), and a community for open questions.

MLB Logo Trivia - How Well Do You Know Baseball?

When it comes to sports trivia, some of the most common questions have to do baseball major league baseball. Specifically, trivia contests have a way of asking questions about MLB logo trivia. In few sports is the logo as recognizable as in major league baseball. It has stayed the same over the years and people have come to associate it with summer and America's pastime. So what are some of the questions that trivia contests are so fond of asking about the game's logo?

Who is the player?

This is the piece of MLB logo trivia that trips the most people up. Many people throw out different names for this, with some of the more popular ones being Rod Carew and Harmon Killibrew. According to Major League Baseball, this is incorrect, though. It is an interesting debate because this is a piece of knowledge that seems to have been passed down throughout the years. People were never corrected on it, so it became something of fact. According to the Major League Baseball website, the logo of the game is not designed after any one particular player. It is, instead, supposed to represent all of the players in Major League Baseball. Though your friends might try to say that it is the Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, they would be mistaken.

When was the logo adopted for use?

The current logo came into use in 1970, but that is not the answer you might hear given in MLB logo trivia. In 1969, a similar logo was designed, but it only stayed in use for one year. It would take a big time baseball fan to know the difference in the two logos, as well. The first one was almost the same as the logo that is used now, except for one huge difference. It did not have the "Major League Baseball" text beneath the player. Other than that small difference, the logo designed in 1969 and the one designed in 1970 (which is still in use today) are the same exact logo, down to the colors and all.

What was the logo baseball to the current logo?

If you don't count the original design of the current logo, then you have to go back to 1960 to find the previous logo of Major League Baseball. This is a piece of MLB logo trivia that many people would be hard pressed to remember and for good reason. The previous logo was scrapped after only nine years because people did not like its look. It was a baseball that was framed by blue and red wings on either side. The one thing that this logo did share with the current logo was the color scheme. Still, there were complaints that the previous logo did not have the professional look that baseball fans wanted for their league. For this reason and others, it was put out of service very quickly, as baseball opted to go with the much better looking and more professional logo that is seen today.

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about MLB logo trivia, please visit The Best of Sports Trivia for current articles and discussions.

Barry Bonds Deals Baseball yet Another Black Eye

As the steroid talk swirls around baseball like the juice surging into Jason Giambis veins, Americas favorite pastime continues to be bruised, right when spring training is getting started. First, it was Giambis admission of taking the muscle-enhancing drug. Then, Jose Canseco shocked the sports world with his tell-all book about his use of steroids, swinging a syringe with better accuracy than he ever swung a bat. Now, its baseballs homerun king, Barry Bonds, making us despise the sports most talented player, with his strange ramblings at a preseason press conference, laced with perfunctory glances at interviewers, lame defenses of his own lousy image, along with distracting accusations aimed at various targets.

Man, is this guy easy to hate. I dont know what cheating is, he says about the potential help steroid use gives to baseball players. How can adding dozens of pounds of muscles increase ones production, Barry wonders? This coming from a guy who entered the league weighing roughly 180 pounds before adding 46 pounds to his frame in a little over three seasons. Furthermore, in his first seven years in the league Bonds never hit 35 home runs. He was a 19 to 25 HR guy, except for two seasons of 33 and 34. Now, the ballooned up Barry, the one who doesnt believe steroids can help hitters, bashes 45 or baseball homers each season, as if he were hitting super balls. But hes not cheating, he claims.

In addition to the pitiful, I dont know what cheating is statement, Bonds managed to blame all of his woes on the probing media and, of course, on baseball Babe Ruth was a great player, Bonds says, but he wasnt black. Im black, and its tougher for blacks. Only some tears would make his act more incredible. Again, I say, this guy is easier to hate than cancer. First of all, what problems does he have? Millions and millions of dollars in his pocket? Playing a game for a living? Incredible popularity? A few questions from interviewers? This is the life of Barry Bonds, and this guy has the audacity to pull the race card? Every African American and baseball fan should join me in hating this racist crybaby. But Im not a racist, Bonds says. I wish I had a dollar for every person who ever made a comment like this one and then followed it up with But Im not a racist. Id probably have as much money as Barry.

Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player ever, hounded every waking moment by the media, never made such a ridiculous statement about black people in sports having it tougher. Jerry Rice, the greatest wide receiver in NFL history, hands down, never whined about discrimination making his life more difficult than his white predecessors. Its because these guys didnt use steroids, and these guys were true, hard-working, non-cheating professionals. Not to mention the fact that they were gentlemen.

This is not to say that racism doesnt still exist in America. It obviously does. In fact, it may even exist in some sports. But it does not exist to the extent that Barry suggests. Does Barry deal with death threats, like Hank Aaron did the entire season he approached Babe Ruths mark? Of course not. In fact, for some bizarre, inexplicable reason, there is a large contingent of Bonds fans actually rooting for this jerk to break Aarons record. Its hard to figure. Aaron never complained about racism, and he entered the batters box nightly, fearing for his very life. And now, 30 years later, he is one of the most revered leaders the game has. Aaron, like Jordan and Rice and Ruth and a myriad of other great athletes, has a legacy. What legacy does the cheating racist, Barry Bonds, have? I think the answer lies within the question. Hell be remembered as a baseball player, who could have been one of the greatest ever, if he hadnt been a cheater and a liar and a racist.

Meanwhile, the more Bonds and others like him talk, the bigger baseballs black eye gets.

Check out more great information now at Expert Commentary

How To Have A Super Youth Baseball Tryout In 90 Minutes

Happy New Year!

While there is no great way to see exactly what a particular player is capable of (short of inviting)
18 candidate players & staging a pick-up scrimmage game), Try this system with the goal of getting the players (& their parents) ready to go home within an hour & a half:

Sign up 20 candidates (or less) per time slot & ask them to show up 30 minutes early to warm up. Make sure an official from the team or league is there to greet them and get them warmed up.
Have at least league V.P. along with 2-3 young men (high school players if possible) (NOT team coaches) to assist.

Each candidate is to hit two ground balls at the shortstop position. baseball candidate fields them both & throws to 1st base

Each candidate is to hit two fly balls to approximately short left-center field. Both flies are fielded & throws are made to baseball base & then to 3rd base on respective catches

The candidates are asked to report to the dugout for batting five at a time, with the remaining 15 or so to stay in the field to "shag" the hits. Each is given seven pitches from a pitching machine: the first two are bunted & the remaining five are hit "swinging away". After the last pitch, whether hit or missed, the candidate is requested to run the bases. The candidate returns to the field to "shag" the hits & to allow all candidates to rotate through the hitting cycle

At the end of the tryout, the candidates are asked if they pitch and/or catch.

With the fact in mind that these are still kids, we have our tryouts on consecutive Saturday mornings. This allows those who may have had a "bad day" on their first tryout to come back for a second chance. Only one tryout is mandatory to attend. If the candidate feels his/her best performance was done at the first tryout, there is no requirement to have them return for the second.

This tryout system will give you results equal to having a long involved 2 hour plus work out involving additional base running and pitching. Pitching and catching tryouts can be performed at a later date. It will eliminate long lines and bored players.

Players should workout prior to their scheduled tryout time. Going on the field cold, lowers your chances of performing well. Many young players feel nervous, which is natural. Prepare for your tryout as you would a game. This way, you can combat the nerves, because you know that you are ready to play.

With spring coming up quickly, it's never too early to plan ahead. Youth Baseball Coaches who plan ahead will benefit when spring hits and you start to run out of time. I hope you find this article of help. Come on spring!

Coach Chip

Hello My name is Chip Lemin. I'm a long time youth baseball coach who loves to promote this great game of baseball. Promoting sportsmanship in this game is something that really needs I feel. I have a free e-course that will give you some solid coaching information along with great help on the inter-personal relationships we must have to be good youth baseball coaches.
Things such as parents, travel baseball, getting parents to help out, how to communicate better to parents and players, just to touch on a few. This course will help to organize practices like an elite coach. How to motivate players and other coaches with your positive attitude. It really is not very hard to be a great coach when you know what to do. Best of all you will learn how to have fun with these great kids that you have the privilege of coaching. Do yourself a favor and check it out, it's free,you will get 1 part every couple of days in your e-mail. Coaching can be fun and rewarding if you have a plan in place first, and you have an idea what you are doing.
http://www.baseballecourse.com

Theme Wedding Ideas to Get You Inspired

The possibilities for a themed wedding are only limited by your imagination. Here are just a few theme wedding ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

African safari - Make the wilds of Africa part of your themed wedding. Have animal print tablecloths, guests in safari attire, African food and music, safari themed centerpieces and favors.

Alice in Wonderland - Bring elements of this Lewis Carroll fairytale into your themed wedding. Why not have a tea party? Use Alice in Wonderland character cut outs such as the White Rabbit, and the Cheshire Cat in your dcor. Have the groom dress as the Mad Hatter.

Angel - Bring a celestial charm to your wedding. Cherubs in all shapes and sizes can be used as a motif for all your wedding related decor.

Aquatic - Since beach weddings are so popular this is one of the most common themed wedding ideas. Even if you aren't getting married at the beach or on a boat you can still use elements of the sea in your wedding.

Baseball - Some baseball enthusiasts love the sport so much that they tie the knot on a baseball diamond. If you don't want to go that far, you can still use baseball as your wedding theme by incorporating this sport into your wedding. Give baseball shaped chocolates as favors, and have your wedding cake made in the shape of a bat and ball. You could baseball dress the part, and encourage guests to do the same.

Bees - Have these busy little insects as your theme by using the bee motif in your dcor. Serve baklava for dessert, and give jars of honey as gifts. Also have your wedding cake made in the shape of a bumblebee.

Butterfly - Are you a butterfly enthusiast? Use the butterfly motif in all aspects of your themed wedding - from the stationery to the wedding cake. If you're wedding is outdoors, some real ones might even show up!

Carnival - Still a kid inside? Fun theme wedding ideas are to rent carnival games, cotton candy machines, snow cone makers, and other fun items to give your wedding the feeling of a carnival. One thing is for sure: kids will love it.

Cars - Are you and your partner car buffs? Why not make cars part of your wedding theme? Arrive in your favorite car (this might be a '69 Mustang rather than a traditional limousine). Use model cars in your dcor and have the wedding cake made in the shape of a car.

Chocolate- This is one of the yummier theme wedding ideas. If you're crazy about chocolate (who isn't), why not use it as your theme? Use rich chocolate browns when decorating. Dark brown candles could be used as centerpieces - so could bowls or baskets filled with fancy chocolates. Also use chocolate place cards - and chocolate favors, and have several chocolate desserts, including a chocolate wedding cake. What about a chocolate fountain?

Cinderella - Although you might have a hard time finding a carriage in the shape of a pumpkin to bring you to your wedding, you can still be Cinderella for the day by taking other elements of this hugely popular fairy tale and incorporating them into your wedding. (Actually you can find a carriage in the shape of a pumpkin - but it's a cake topper.) Decorate with magic wands, crowns and miniature castles.

Daisies - It's simple to base the theme of your wedding on this lovely flower. Use daisies in all of your bouquets and centerpieces, and also place candy daisies on top of your wedding cake. Find invitations that include this flower and use pressed daisies on your place cards. Give seed packets of daisies as favors.

Golf - If you and your partner love to spend time on the golf course, why not make it part of your theme? Have the wedding at a golf and country club. Give golf balls (with your names and wedding date) as favors. Have your wedding cake created in the shape of a mini-golf course.

Gothic - Is black your favorite color? Are you crazy about Dracula movies and Ann Rice books? Why not have a gothic wedding? Gothic style weddings aren't that uncommon. They usually involve plenty of black and they definitely don't adhere to tradition. A gothic wedding can take place anywhere - from a graveyard to an old mansion.

Mickey Mouse - If you are having your wedding at Disney World, then bringing this popular cartoon character into your wedding will be a breeze. If you're having the wedding elsewhere, simply use the Mickey Mouse motif in your dcor. You could even have someone dress the part and show up during the reception. Don't forget to have the DJ play the Mickey Mouse theme song during the reception.

Motorcycles - What about arriving to your wedding on a Harley? If you were a real motorcycle enthusiast this wouldn't seem like an outlandish idea. And if all your friends were bikers too, a procession through town, with everyone - including the bride and groom - would only seem natural. Other ways to incorporate the biker theme into a wedding is to use the Harley Davidson theme colors of orange and black and either have your wedding cake made in the shape of a motorcycle, or use a motorcycle cake topper.

Roses - A rose theme wedding is perfect for the summertime when roses are in full plan. Incorporate the rose theme into your wedding by having a 'rose ceremony' during your wedding ceremony. Have the wedding in a rose garden, and use roses in all of your bouquets and centerpieces. Use roses made of icing to decorate your wedding cake. Give single roses as favors.

Zoo - Okay, it might sound like the most outlandish of the theme wedding ideas, but if you love wild animals, why not have a zoo theme. Lions and tigers and bears - not to mention snakes, leopards and lizards. Imagine having these creatures as part of your wedding? Some zoos open their doors to couples wanting to getting married there. Couples can use animal motifs in their dcor, including animal print tablecloths, and chair covers. Tropical plants can be used as centerpieces, and vines can be placed along the walls. Stationery with paw prints can be used, and a wedding cake can be made in the shape of a zoo animal.

Looking for more theme wedding ideas? Check out IntimateWeddings.com.

Christina Friedrichsen is the author of Intimate Weddings: Planning a Small Wedding that Fits Your Budget and Style and owner of IntimateWeddings.com, a website dedicated to small weddings. The site has a wedding venue finder that lists more than 1,300 small wedding venues throughout North America as well as articles about planning a small wedding.

Free Softball Practice Drills

These softball drills are all great to use during practice and are free! If you play softball you may want to take baseball time to practice these drills during practice or baseball your own time because they can help you out tremendously.

Drill 1 - Merry-Go-Round (Softball Infield)

Purpose: To warm up or work on conditioning while fielding ground balls.

Procedure: Players form two fielding lines at opposite corners of the infield - one to the left of second base and one at home. Be careful that the players in line at second do not trip over the base. Two hitters hit or throw from the pitching-circle area, one to each line. Players field and run to the end of the opposite line. Hitters hit ground balls, fly balls, range balls, line drives, and scoops. Players return the ball to their hitter or place it in a bucket at the line they are running to. Hitters should have a bucket of extra balls to replace balls that fielders miss so the drill can be done at a steady pace.

Drill 2 - Knee Dives (Softball Catching)

Purpose: To learn how to dive to catch the ball.

Procedure: The tosser is six feet in front of the diver, who is on her knees. Using soft safety balls, the thrower tosses balls to the side just out of reach so that the diver must dive to catch them. Players progress to starting in a squat position and then to a full standing start. When using a mat have one tosser and never more than six fielders in a line so players don't waste too much time waiting for their turn but still have time to get ready for their next attempt. When bad weather forces you inside, this is an excellent drill if you have access to tumbling or wrestling mats.

Drill 3 - Sequence Throwing (Softball Throwing)

Purpose: To force concentration so that players can work on accuracy.

Procedure: Players use this sequence when throwing to a partner. Because the numbers are not in a logical sequence, the thrower must concentrate on each throw.

1. left shoulder 3.right shoulder

3. right hip 4. left hip

Drill 4 - Watch and Take Advantage (Softball Baserunning)

Purpose: To practice holding the leadoff until the pitcher has the ball.

Procedure: A pitcher with a bucket of balls on the mound throws to a catcher. Runners form a line behind first base. The runner works on getting a good jump on her leadoff and then maintaining a balanced position until the ball is successfully returned to the pitcher. The catcher occasionally overthrows the pitcher or the pitcher drops the ball. The runners looks for the error and reacts by going to second.

Drill 5 - Air Drill (Softball Bunting)

Purpose: To evaluate and practice bunting technique.

Procedure: The coach calls a particular bunt, and the batter then assumes position in an imaginary batter's box. On the command "Ball" the batter executes the basic movement. The emphasis is on proper bat angle and contact spot, good balance, and using the legs to lower the body for low pitches.

How to Help Your Aspiring Slugger - Dad's Arm Vs A Pitching Machine

Buying a pitching machine is essential for any little league baseball team. The baseball machines are overall superior compared to a dad when it comes to pitching. Pitching placement is one of many areas the pitching machine beats the dad. Have you ever seen a child get beamed in the head by a rogue pitch from a dad? baseball is a common sight at most baseball practices. Many kids are often afraid of batting practice because they don't want to be hit by a baseball. With a pitching machine it hits a certain location every time, ensuring you get the most out of baseball practice. This accuracy will give the child more confidence in his or her batting, and also allow them to hit harder and more accurately.

The pitching machine also wins over the dad when it comes to pitching speed. Not all dads are very good pitchers, and their pitches are often all over the place, both in placement and in speed. This variance in speed can cause stride issues for the kid batting. It also will diminish his confidence if he rarely can hit the dads pitch. Pitching machines will hit a certain speed every time. This accuracy in speed will help to create a confident, strong stride needed to hit the ball well.

These dads who think they can pitch won't walk away with a hurt ego, they will benefit too. Instead of having to ice their arm after a long practice of pitching, they'll be able to relax and not be so sore. The pitching machine never gets tire, it never gets sore. It can go forever. This machine doesn't need ice or a break, only more balls. The pitching machine can launch a ball every 8 seconds. That means your kid can get more hits in batting practice, thus making the team better. If a dad tried to pitch a ball every 8 seconds his arm would fall off. This increase in ball out put will make your team more efficient and overall more likely to win. It's pretty obvious the pitching machines beat the dad in every way.

The pitching machine might seem pretty great; however, you may think it will cost too much. Most pitching machines cost between 200 to 500 dollars. You might think that is a lot, but it's worth making your team better. The memories from a little league championship will far outweigh the costs of the pitching machine. Teams can even share a machine I they practice at different times. This would bring down the cost baseball Every kid dreams of being a champion and you could give them that chance.

Overall it's pretty obvious that the pitching machine is a very good investment. It has better placement and speed control than the dad does. You can even change the speed if you need to challenge the players. The dad doesn't have to walk away with a sore arm, and you get more pitches in on batting practice. The price may seem a lot at first; however, when you consider the number of teams who could benefit and the potential to win a championship for your kids, it's a no-brainer. The pitching machine will improve your team.

Coach Chuck Stewart operates a baseball website where training aids such as Pitching Machines including Heater Pitching Machines are available. Coach Chuck has coached baseball teams for 11 years and enjoys sharing the love of the game with his players.

The Five Biggest Free Agent Busts Of The Last Ten Years

It's that time of year again known as the off-season in pro baseball and as always free agency was one of the hottest topics at the GM meetings this past week (November 5-8, 2007). The other two were instant replay and trying to approve the wearing of batting helmets baseball first and third base coaches. The helmet issue arose due to the death of Rockies Minor League manager, Mike Coolbaugh, who died after being struck in the head by a line drive while coaching first base.

Looking back in retrospect, free agency was born out of 70 years of player frustration at the hands of baseball owners who held a choke hold on player's rights. The Brotherhood Strike (1890) was the first attempt by the ball players to end the owners grip on player mobility as they organized the National Brotherhood of Ball Players. But it failed miserably and the owners kept their death grip on the game until 1966.

That year, the players enlisted the services of Marvin Miller, labor union activist, and formed the Major League Ball Players Association (MLBPA). The final nail in the coffin of the owner's reserve clause binding players to one team happened when both Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax refused to re-sign their contracts. In 1970, Curt Flood, St. Louis Cards outfielder, took the leagues to court to officially challenge the clause by negotiating a player trade citing the 13th Amendment and Antitrust legislation as grounds for the law suit.

He lost the case in 1972 in the Supreme Court by a 5-3 vote, but due in part to large-scale public sympathy, the damage had been done. In 1975, Dave McNally and Andy Messersmith played without contracts and then declared themselves free agents. The owners, whose grip on the ball players was weakened by concessions that came out of the Flood case, had no choice but to accept the Collective Bargaining Agreement put forth by the MLBPA, effectively ending once and for all the reserve clause's effectiveness.

I've come up with a list of the five biggest free agent busts of the last ten years by putting in some due diligence and doing some research. Hopefully, you'll see my reasoning behind choosing the five ball players that are on this list. I arranged the list from lowest annual contract salary to the highest, and oddly enough three of the five are pitchers.

Biggest Bust #5 - Albert Belle (LF/RF - Orioles) - 5 years, $65 million ($13m/yr.)

Albert "Joey" Belle played for three teams in his injury shortened 12 year career --- the Indians (1989-96), the White Sox (1997-98), and the Orioles (1999-2000). He was called "Joey" (his childhood nickname) while in the minors, but his temperament and excessive drinking habits labeled him a high risk draft prospect in college, and it was during his counseling for alcohol abuse that baseball started going by his proper name of Albert.

Even though his career was ended in 2000 due to a severe hip injury, Belle's career was continually clouded by his questionable behavior both on and off the field. He was suspended in the 1986 college World Series when he went into the stands after a fan had been shouting racial slurs at him. In 1990, he threw a baseball into the stands, hitting a person that was taunting him about his alcohol rehab. He also ran into a Halloween vandal with his car after catching him in the act of throwing eggs at his house.

In 1994, a corked bat got him suspended. He was fined in 1996 for colliding with Fernando Vina on a play at second base. And in 1995, Hannah Storm of NBC Sports was the target of a profane outburst during the 1995 World Series when she approached him for an interview. It was also reported that the Indians billed him $10,000 a year for damages done to opposing team's clubhouses during road games.

At the end of the 1999 season, Belle invoked a clause in his contract that would guarantee that he would remain one of the three highest paid players in baseball, and when the White Sox refused to give him a raise, he immediately became a free agent. The Orioles, desperate to get back into a pennant chase, jumped at the opportunity and signed Belle to a five year contract worth $65 million. But Belle's career would end after only two of the five seasons on the contract when he was diagnosed with degenerative osteoarthritis of the hip. He was only 34 years old.

During his career, Belle became only the fourth player all time along with Ruth, Gehrig, and Foxx to have eight straight seasons of 30 or more homers and 100 or more RBI's. In 1995, Belle became the only player in MLB history to hit 50 homers and 50 doubles, and to this day he remains alone in the record books with that stat.

Biggest Bust #4 - Chan Ho Park (P - Rangers) - 5 years, $65 million ($13m/yr.)

Park has been with 4 teams in 14 professional seasons. He was picked up by the Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1994 where he spent eight seasons (1994-2001), then pitched for the Rangers (2002-05), the Padres (2005-06), and finally the Mets (2007). But the "bust" occurred when he was in a Rangers' uniform.

After a 15-11 season with the Dodgers in 2001, Park signed with the Rangers for five years and $65 million, which was a record for size of contract signed by a pitcher at the time. But while he was in Texas he was hampered with injuries and a hitter friendly ballpark that did not play out in his favor. Park was an unpopular figure in the Dallas area. The media constantly demeaned him in print with nicknames like "Heave Ho Park", "(It's) Outta Tho Park," and "Oh No Park", not to mention the jeers of fans that he was an under achiever hurting his team as well as a big waste of money.

Not wanting to label Park as a pitcher who could not succeed, upper management took the stance that he didn't fit the Rangers' organization. So on July 29, 2005 the Rangers traded him to the Padres for Phil Nevin, and he was immediately shelled for seven runs and eight hits in only 4.1 innings in his first outing in a San Diego uniform. The only highlight of his 2006 season came as a reliever for Korea in the World Baseball Classic.

February of 2007 saw Park ink a one year, $3 million deal with the Mets, but he was immediately sent to AAA New Orleans due to a poor spring performance. On April 30th he pitched only one time for the Mets filling in for an injured Orlando Hernandez, but was sent back down to New Orleans on May 3rd and then designated for assignment on June 4th. On June 12th he signed a minor league contract with the Astros' triple A franchise at Round Rock, but as of season's end, he never joined the Astros due to unimpressive stats in the minors. This past November 7th, Park supposedly accepted an offer from the Dodgers to report to spring training in 2008.

Some of the notable events of Park's career include being the first South Korean pitcher to reach 100 victories in the majors. In 2001, he gave up Bonds' record breaking 71st home run and then his 72nd later in the game. April 23, 1999 saw him give up two grand slams in one inning to Fernando Tatis. And in the third inning of the 2001 All Star Game, he surrendered the home run to Cal Ripken, Jr. (later named the game's MVP) which put Ripken in the record books for being the oldest major leaguer to accomplish that feat.

Biggest Bust #3 - Mo Vaughn (1B - Angels) - 6 years, $80 million ($13.3m/yr.)

Vaughn was another high priced free agent whose career ended abruptly in injury. He played 13 seasons with three teams --- Red Sox (1991-98), Angels (1999-2001), and Mets (2002-03). He played his college ball at Seton Hall and was drafted by the Red Sox in 1989 (1st round - 23rd pick), and made his MLB debut on June 27, 1991. When he was playing in the Cape Cod Baseball League his teammates included Chuck Knoblauch and Craig Biggio.

Vaughn was a very popular figure in Boston mostly because of his charity work in the community and his personality, but his issues with Red Sox management and the local media eventually spelled the end of his career in a Red Sox uniform. Despite starting the 1998 season with a ninth inning walk-off grand slam to beat the Mariners, the season was filled with constant bitterness between him and management. After the Indians knocked Boston out of the divisional series, Vaughn announced his free agency.

Within days, he signed the highest paying contract (at the time) with the Angels. In 1999 and 2000 he hit over 30 home runs and drove in over 100 RBI's. He was plagued by injuries in 1999, one of which included falling down the dugout steps on his first play of his first game and badly spraining his ankle. In 2001, he never played in one game the whole season. But the Mets saw him as a run producer suited for the middle of their lineup and took him in trade for pitcher Kevin Appier on December 27, 2001.

Despite the new opportunity in the Big Apple, Vaughn could not resurrect his past performance in Boston nor kick the injuries that were nagging him the past few years. He had a poor season in 2002, and only appeared in 27 games due to a chronic knee injury in 2003. At that point, doctors were telling Vaughn that continuing to play baseball would eventually render him disabled. For Vaughn, this closed the door on his career.

Biggest Bust #2 - Kevin Brown (P - Dodgers) - 7 years, $105 million ($15m/yr.)

Though Brown had an 18 year career in the majors, he was never one that I would consider a great pitcher. He was mediocre at best, running hot and cold and the hot part usually happening at contract time. Brown always reminded me of a ball player from yesteryear named "Jumpin'" Joe Collins. They called him that because he "jumped" to wherever the money was.

Brown played for six different teams --- Rangers (1988-94), Orioles (1995), Marlins (1996-97), Padres (1998), Dodgers (1999-2003), and Yankees (2004-05). He was drafted fourth in the first round of 1986 by the Rangers, and made his debut in 1989, and was placed as #2 in the rotation behind Nolan Ryan. He had average seasons in 1990-91, but in 1992 he was 21-11 making him the first Rangers pitcher since Fergie Jenkins (1974) to win 20 or more games.

He spent 1995 with the Orioles after the 1994-95 strike was settled, and then went to Florida for the 1996-97 seasons. The highlight with the Marlins obviously came in the '97 season when they won the World Series. When Marlin's ownership dismantled the championship team, Brown was traded to the Padres for the '98 season. He helped get the Padres to the series, but not before he blew a save opportunity in Game 5 of the NLCS.

When Brown signed his contract with the Dodgers, he became the first $100 million man in baseball, and in my opinion the most overrated. The contract was oftentimes referred to as the worst one ever from a team's point of view because throughout his final years he would only average nine wins per season and be hampered continually with injuries.

Brown was traded to the Yankees in December of 2003 --- a trade I have never agreed with and my skepticism was well documented with "I told you so's" after only two years in the Bronx. Though he dealt with health problems (back and spine) during '04, Brown proved he lacked intelligence when he angrily stormed out of Torre's office, punched the wall outside, breaking his left hand. Brown would be out of action for the remainder of the season.

Brown would make an attempt at returning in 2005, but would fail miserably being plagued with back problems and other injuries throughout the season. His 4-7 record and 6.50 ERA was enough, and in February of 2006, he announced his retirement. For Yankee fans it was too long in the making. For me, it was the end of a foolish waste of money.

Biggest Bust #1 - Mike Hampton (P - Rockies) - 8 years, $121 million ($15.1m/ yr.)

Hampton was drafted by the Mariners in 1990 and made his major league debut in 1993. Besides Seattle (1993), he has been with the Astros (1994-99), the Mets (2000), the Rockies (2001-02), and the Braves (2003-present). Hampton would get off to a disappointing start in Seattle and get shipped off to Houston after only one season. The best year of his career came in 1999 with the Astros when he posted a 22-4 record and a 2.90 ERA as well.

Hampton was also revered as one of the better hitting pitchers in the league and would win five Silver Slugger Awards in a row. In 2001 while with the Rockies he batted .291 and hit 7 home runs. But coupled with his hitting prowess that year was a disappointing 14-13 won/loss record and a dismal 5.12 ERA. Adding insult to injury, he developed control problems. In 2002, things just got worse. His ERA swelled to 6.15 and he posted a miserable 7-15 record.

As a result, in November of '02, Hampton was traded to the Marlins then immediately to Atlanta. He won 14 games in 2003 and in 2004 he helped get the Braves into the post season. Limited by injuries in 2005, he posted a 5-3 record, only to have his season end with an elbow injury that August. He would undergo Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2006 season while in rehab, and 2007 would prove to be no better. In March, he tore an oblique muscle; in April, a bullpen start was shut down due to recurring elbow pain; and after having another elbow procedure done shortly thereafter, the Braves announced that he would miss the entire 2007 season with a torn flexor tendon in his pitching elbow.

As of the date of this article, there is no news about Hampton or his future. For me, this contract was more ridiculous than A-Rod's $25.2 million per year only because the Yankees got some good out of A-Rod. A writer for Sports Illustrated said it best --- "This deal, signed in the wild winter before the '01 season, was doomed from the start. The lefty Hampton was so bad -- 21-28, 5.75 ERA -- that the Rocks paid Florida (and then the Braves) to take him. The Braves still owe Hampton -- who missed all of '06 and '07 -- $15 million for '08." Now that is a "bust" if ever there was one.

As always, if you have any comments or questions, e-mail me at no1nyyfan55@yahoo.com and I will respond to you as quickly as I can. Until next time, here's hoping your free agent isn't a bust.

http://www.baseball-almanac.com
http://www.baseballlibrary.com
http://espn.go.com

Custom Pins That You Can Show Off Your Team!

Baseball and softball are two sports, especially at the high school level, that are not recognized or ever appreciated as much as some of the other sports that a school has to offer. Many people don't go to the games or support the school teams simply because they just don't know about it. Instead of posting up advertising signs all over the school and surrounding community, why not baseball a new kind of advertisement. It is a good idea to try something different, just to shake things up and get people talking. A few people can start to wear baseball trading pins around for a few days, and soon enough everybody will be wanting their own custom trading pins for the baseball and softball teams. The softball trading pins are great too because it brings a lot of attention to a couple of sports that are in need of some hype.

You will find that everyone loves the trading pins because they are cool enough to pin on to purses, backpacks, or sweatshirts, but at the baseball time they are not big and flashy. Often people will begin showing the pins off in class, which is almost like free advertisement. All this can happen simply by word of mouth!

It is a good idea to make a simple design of baseballs, for the baseball trading pins, along with two bats crossing like an 'X'. Then add the letters of the school, embossed on the top so that people can actually feel the custom idea of our design. This will make them look really cool when the first batch is delivered in the mail. You should be able to sell a lot in the first weeks, so consider ordering a second batch. Even the parents and teachers will buy pins because they'll enjoy the novelty of the project. Soon enough everybody at the school or even the community will be wearing at least one kind of sports pin. Not only will they wear them while in school, but they also at the games and out in public too, giving the teams even more community wide coverage.

As far as the softball pins go, those trading pins can be made very simple as well. Girls' teams usually want a little brighter colors and a unique look. Anything is available. The design can be bright pink, lime green, or fuchsia! They do not need to be the school or team colors! You may choose to have the school log on them or the player's name or number or both. People all over the community will want to purchase a couple. They will be easily affordable and fun to wear.

If your sports team is not getting a lot of coverage around your school and surrounding area, and you wish to be noticed a little bit more, try this cool new idea at your own school or in your community to see if it helps. The more you put your self out there, the more people will notice you! Try it out and see what good comes out of it; you never know, it might be a home run!

Chuck Stewart recently purchased several baseball trading pins for his high school team and softball trading pins for his wife's team.

5 Core Mechanics to a Good Baseball and Softball Swing

In hitting there are 5 core principles that as a hitter you hope to execute on every swing. No thanks to pitchers constantly attempting to mess up a hitter's timing and balance, these core movements aren't always present in every swing. These core mechanics are dependent upon each other for a player to really execute their best swing. In order to successfully execute one's best swing, these "parts" need to work together to maximize the hitting process. These five core principles are the "blueprint" of a hitters basic mechanics. They are:

1. Weight Transfer
2. Hips lead the hands
3. Matching the swing plane to the pitch plane baseball "leveling"*
*(this involves the shoulder dip, tilting, & getting the bat level to the ball)
4. Ideal contact
5. Staying inside the ball

These principles of hitting are the foundation and are present in every good swing but they are not all always present in EVERY swing from the same player. A player cannot, and will not, be consistently successful if they are regularly lacking in any one of these areas in the hitting process. This is why Ted William's said that hitting a baseball is the single most difficult thing to baseball in any sport. Although, I tend to disagree with Ted on this thought. Hitting a baseball(or softball) may be the second most difficult thing. I believe TEACHING someone to hit a baseball/softball may be the most difficult thing to do in sports!

Do great hitters always look great or even good at the plate? The simple obvious answer is NO. If the pitcher is successful as they often are, their pitch will take one of the core elements away from the hitter. When this happens take a look at what happens to their swing. The result are often less than favorable in these cases.

Oftentimes, a player who has excellent core hitting mechanics can be struggling at the plate and even look awkward. If you regularly watch a lot of games and hitters as I do, you will clearly recognize when a hitter gets into advantageous hitting positions and when they obviously did not. In the situations when their swing looked "bad", that doesn't mean that the hitter has poor hitting mechanics. Rather, something in the process was slightly off. One(or more) of the core mechanics was out of whack for whatever reason. A lot of times it's a hitter's rhythm, timing and tempo that are off and they are "chasing" a pitch the pitcher fooled them with. Whatever the pitcher has done, it has worked in that the hitters core mechanics are thrown off. As well all know, this doesn't always mean the hitter doesn't get a hit. We've all seen the crazy off-balance swing where the hitter drops one in for a base hit. As well as, we have all seen the "perfect" swing where the hitter smokes the ball only to have it fielded for an out by the defense.

One thing to add here is two-strike situation. A hitter should be less concerned with staying perfect with their mechanics and should be simply focusing on doing whatever it takes to make contact and put the ball in play. There is typically not much a hitter can do when they have two strikes on them except let the ball travel as deep as possible and simply put the bat in the path of the ball. Any thoughts of putting the perfect swing on a pitch when a hitter has two strikes must be out the window and he/she should focus on making the adjustments necessary to put the ball in play.

What is the perfect swing anyway? It's the adjustments a hitter makes appropriate to the pitch they get. This is the reason why a lot of times no two swings look very similar. It all starts with the core mechanics and then expands from there. Every element is necessary to maximize the swing process to a consistently high level. When a player is taught improper core mechanics or if core mechanics are not firmly established, hitting problems are exacerbated greatly and hitting frustration is escalated. Learning the core mechanics and learning them correctly while continually working on them is crucial to all hitters.

Todd Thomas is a Baseball Coach and Professional Hitting Instructor for Mike Epstein Hitting. Coach Todd's personal hitting website is http://www.HitItHere.net. Coach Todd also enthusiastically endorses http://PlayMyBestBaseball.com as a place where baseball and softball hitters can master the Confidence, Composure, Focus and Consistency of their game so they can reach their full potential.

Tampa Bay Rays Jersey Number 13 - Carl Crawford

Sure he can hit. Sure he can field. But what Carl Crawford does best is steal bases. The lefty out of left field has led the American League in stolen bases four times in the seven seasons he has played in the Major Leagues. With 304 career stolen bases, including the two he has stolen so far in the 2009 season, at the age of 27, he is tied with Reggie Sanders for 148th place on the list of career stolen base leaders. His career high record was 59 in 2004, with which he led the American League. In second place in the AL was Ichiro Suzuki with a mere 36. He is only the eighth player in MLB history to have stolen 200 bases before his 25th birthday. He man has even stolen home.

His speed has also helped him with another statistic. He led the Major Leagues in triples in 2004 and has led the American League two more seasons since then, in 2005 and 2006. It helps to be so fast that you can squeeze a double into a triple.

Crawford made his debut in a Tampa Bay Rays jersey in 2002 at the tender age of 20.

Besides his trademark speed, his career has shown a steady progression in improved performance. From 2002 through 2006, Crawford improved both his batting average and his home run count in each successive year. Only one other player has shown such relentless progress for five straight years, the legendary Rogers Hornsby.

In 2004, he was chosen for the All-Star Team for the first time. In 2005, he became only the third player in a Tampa Bay Rays jersey to cross the .300 mark for batting average when he ended the season at .301. In 2007, he made the All-Star Team again, the first Devil Rays player to do so more than once, and hit a home run in the game. In 2008, he got his 1000th hit, becoming only the eighth player in MLB history to get 1000 hits and steal 250 bases before his 27th birthday.

But best of all, in 2008, he played in the World Series. Tampa Bay, having changed their name from the "Devil Rays" to the "Rays," defied all odds to defeat the high-salaried New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox to win the American League East Division championship. They went on to defeat the wild card Boston Red Sox again for the American League Championship and play the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. The Rays lost to the Phillies in five games.

If 2008 was the break-out year for the team in the Tampa Bay Rays jerseys, however, it was not one of Crawford's better years. He had trouble with his legs for most of the season then missed several weeks late in the season with an injured tendon in his right hand. He spent the off-season working on his conditioning, however, and has come back in 2009 looking strong and healthy. His numbers for the season were not as strong as they had been earlier in his career.

If he stays healthy and enjoys a long career, who knows how many bases he can steal.

Kathleen Hobbins is a baseball fan extraordinaire. She grew up in Boston, where the Red Sox taught her to love baseball. She now lives in Chicago, where she baseball choose between the Cubs and the White Sox. So her cup runs over with three home-town teams. Follow Kathleen on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/KathleenHobbins And for more about the Tampa Bay Rays, visit http://www.BaseballFanSiteOnline.com/Tampa-Bay-Rays

Don't Dream It, Do It - Baseball Goal Setting Part II

In Part I we learned baseball importance of setting baseball goals and how baseball set goals that were obtainable.

Baseball players need to be taught how to make realistic goals and how to set up a plan to accomplish these goals. The coach can help by having team goals for the week (or individual practices) and encourage players to write down individual goals per game or goals for the week on an index card. At the end of that short period of time, they can check their road map and find out where they are at. Encourage players to write down both individual and team goals.

On our daily practice plan, we have One Practice Goal (what we want to achieve that day) and several objectives on how we plan to accomplish them.

We also have specific goals for offense, defense, pitching, etc.... during the season. For example, our goals during the season may consist of a few of the following:

Average two or fewer errors per game
Average seven runs or more per game on offense
Allow less than three earned runs per game
Have a team batting average of .330 or higher during the season
Have a team ERA of 3.00 or lower during the year

Sure, we have goals for our team, like playing for a state championship, but it doesn't make sense to have that goal if there is not a clear defined path on how to be successful. Believe me, if we average less than one error per game during the season, we have probably won 20+ games and are playing in the state finals.

It's important for us to remind players each game when these goals are not reached and to praise them when these goals are accomplished.

In order to accomplish our team goals at the end of the season, we need to evaluate where we are at along the way. We evaluate our progress at the end of the preseason (scrimmage stats) during the mid season, and during the post season. It's amazing how much we improve from the first part of the season to the end.

We encourage individual goals through our philosophy and daily reminders.

For example, the goal for a pitcher when facing every batter (scrimmage and games) is to get the batter to hit the ball in the first three pitches. We don't want 7- 8 pitch counts per batter. This is part of our written philosophy and a daily goal for all of our pitchers, one we talk about a lot.

We find this philosophy improves a pitchers control through concentration, making them more aggressive to go after hitters. It also helps the defense because they are preparing to make a play on the first pitch to the batter. Finally, it helps our pitchers keep low pitch counts and stay in the game longer.

OK, did you take some good notes? Goals can be accomplished easily if you focus on them in shorter periods of time. After that, they become part of your philosophy and the expectations of your players every day.

Don't Dream It, Do It.

Mike Posey "CP"
Expert Baseball Tips
Baseball tips from a championship coach's perspective and experience, offering creative insights into helping others learn the game of baseball.

Pitching Grip - How To Throw A Curveball

When is the best time to throw the curve? When you are ahead of the count with one or two strikes on the batter or surprise the batter by throwing it your first pitch. I only recommend throwing the Curveball the first pitch if you have excellent command and can throw it for a strike. You always want to start the count in your favor.

You can throw the Curveball one of two ways as far as the location of the pitch is concerned. One, you can start the Curveball out in the strike zone and throw it into the dirt hoping the batter will fish for it. Or two, you can start it out as a ball and have it drop into the strike zone. If the batter doesn't swing, it is a strike, and if he does he misses it or grounds out. I prefer the ground out personally so I can throw fewer pitches per inning. When a starting pitcher performs, he should plan on throwing the whole game if he is on a five day rotation; first pitch ground outs are ideal for me.

Before we cover how to grip the Curveball, it is important to note baseball a pitcher should always pull the curve from his glove. This is important because it ensures that the wrist and forearm are aligned on each pitch for consistency. For example, while throwing a fastball a pitcher should bring his thumbs down, out of the glove so the ball ends up facing second base at the equal and opposite position. The Curveball should be pulled from the glove with the palm of your hand facing toward your body.

Curveball Grip

To grip the Curveball, place your index and ring finger on the seams opposite of the thumb. The thumb and middle finger should split the baseball in half. Apply some pressure on your thumb and middle fingers. Your index finger should simply rest on the ball next to the middle finger. I teach pitchers that are just learning this grip to slightly raise their index finger off the ball to ensure baseball don't apply pressure with it.

When throwing this pitch, make sure you maintain solid fastball mechanics. One, you don't want to tip the batter so he will know you are throwing something other than a fastball by changing mechanics. You also want to keep the same arm speed and arm angle with the curve. The only thing that changes is wrist and forearm angle. At release, avoid snapping your wrist. The ball rolls off your index finger while spinning the ball with your thumb and middle finger.

A fact about the Curveball: Hitters can hit a "good" Curveball, but they struggle hitting a "great" Curveball. A great Curveball deceives the batter and drops aggressively in the end. Keep practicing so that you will be one of the great Curveball pitchers.

Curveball tip #1: Ensure that your fastball mechanics are in order before learning a curve. Also, to make sure that the ball doesn't squirt on you, finish the pitch with your glove in front of you, not on the side of your body. Refer to your Pitching Mechanics DVD if you are not sure what we mean by that.

Curveball tip#2: Coaches and parents need to monitor how many Curveballs a young athlete throws, especially when the pitch really begins to work for him. Pitcher's who throw the curveball well and experience great success with it, tend to overuse the pitch. The ratio of pitches thrown should be 15-20% Curveballs regardless of how effective your curve is.

Dan Gazaway is owner and founder of The Pitching Academy in Utah. He has instructed over 1,000 students in the area of pitching mechanics and the mental aspect of competitive pitching. Coach Gazaway received his coaching certification through The National Pitching Association in San Diego. Dans latest projects include creating a Pitching Mechanics DVD and e-book and placing them on his Pitching Academy website. Coach Gazaway also instructs thousands of pitchers about proper pitching workouts which include pre-season training as well as pitching workouts relating to off-season conditioning.

Easily Achieve Genius Level Creativity With This Simple Technique

There you are. Sitting there, looking at a blank screen. You had a brilliant flash of inspiration, what, an hour ago? You were busy, but and weren't in a situation where you could conveniently write down your flash of wisdom that might likely save humanity. You convinced yourself that it was an obvious "A HA!" that you would of course remember it, but...

So you sit. Sometimes you are lucky, and you get a flash of creativity when you can easily capture it baseball paper, or electronically. Or if you're smart, you might carry around one of those small electronic voice recorders so you can spout your sporadic nuggets of verbal wisdom on the fly. But does it have to baseball that way? Do you have to wait until you "get" a creative thought? Is creativity locked in some mysterious creativity mine on the moon, dispersed by some alien god of creativity to random earthling's according to the interpretation of sunspots?

What if you were to realize that you could dig in your own mine of creative thought, anytime, anyplace? What if I could teach you a simple procedure that would literally increase the amount of physio-chemical neural connections in your brain to give you on-demand enlightened insight? If it sounds hokey, don't worry. Your creativity is just like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. After practicing this simple technique, you will never again have to wait for an idea to come. You will go into a search of your own brain, and find it.

The heart of creativity is thinking of a completely new thought, which is really a connection of other thoughts, thought previously unconnected, from a new perspective. Like the old commercial for Reese's peanut butter cups. Two people walking down the street, one enjoying peanut butter, the other enjoying chocolate. They bump into each other, their respective snacks serendipitously mix into one of the greatest inventions in the history of humanity. (Ok, I exaggerate.) Peanut butter wasn't new, chocolate certainly wasn't, but BAM and a brand new idea.

This is what you will be doing with the thoughts that are already in your mind. Connecting them in ways you never thought about before, which will in turn spark a geometric increase in your synaptic connections. I won't even get into the enormous benefit this can have above and beyond enhanced creativity.

Ready? Let's go.

What you will be doing is widening the physical pathways connecting different places in your mind where memories are stored. When this happens, you will naturally generate all kinds of new ideas simply because making new associations will automatically pop up. And when you digging for new ideas, they will be easier to find as well. The way to do this is through free note association, or free noting. You write out a couple of words, and then as quickly as possible, spit out all the first things that come to mind when you think of either word. You will need to record the associations somehow, whichever is most convenient. Personally, I type mine out on a word processor, because I can type much quicker than I can write longhand. Some people prefer to use a cassette recorder, or a digital voice recorder.

The trick is to be completely unconcerned with spelling and grammar, and write the ideas out as quickly as they come. Most people, after doing this for a week, have an incredible "A HA" moment when you will realize just how much information you have stored in your head, with literally infinite ways to combine the information already there to create new and fantastic ideas.

For example, lets take the word "baseball" and "spider." Two completely random words that I just came up with. Here's how I'd do it:

baseball baseball, baseball game spider spider car driving driving to a baseball game driving freeway congestion people many people people houses streets houses housing market economy economy money bill gates computers windows software ideas creative ideas ideas are money

Notice I haven't made any spelling mistakes. Normally many words are misspelled and mismatched together. The above example is general creativity strengthening exercise, like going to the gym for your brain, which I would recommend you do at least ten minutes a day. It's as simple as that. It might seem slow at first, but just like continued physical exercise yields a stronger and leaner body, continued brain exercise will yield a quicker and smarter brain.

This technique can also be used for problem solving. Just choose two words related to the problem, and when you start free noting, you'll be amazed how quickly the solution presents itself. Once you get really good at this, people will be amazed. You will be sitting in a meeting, and you will cock your head for a second, and spit out a creative idea or solution, and people will look at you in awe. How did you think of that?

Because self development and human potential is such a big interest of mine, I write a couple articles like this on my blog every day. Many of the people that read it on a daily basis tell me that you can benefit a great deal from coming to read it from time to time. Not only is it quick and easy to read, but entertain and helpful as well.

George Hutton is a widely read author and blogger who writes inspirational and life changing articles. You can join many others who read daily at http://www.georgehutton.net/wordpress

Baseball Situational Betting and Winning

Betting in a baseball game can be considered one of the best ways for a bettor to win a large sum of money. But before one can do this, there are more ways that must be first done and achieved so that betting is more based on facts and not on pure hunch or luck.

In betting, the facts needed by a bettor are the trend of the teams that win the games. When a bettor already knows the trend and the capabilities of the baseball he will also learn baseball situational betting. In this way, he will baseball a better idea or prediction on how this player would take part in the game when he is against the other team. Also, the number of times that a player or team wins is not the sole important factor. This is because a player must know the units that are won based on the money line. The amount of his bet is important as it may give him a better chance in winning more and losing at the same time.

Having yourself disciplined to put bets on a smaller scale should be maintained as it is the safer way and the risk is minimized. When you win, then it is good but when you lose, it is still tolerable if the bet you placed is just a small amount.

In baseball, winning can have bigger odds when you know the rules and have a better grasp of the situations and the risks. So place your bet and enjoy playing and winning.

Stop being a loser! Discover the secrets from the professionals how to win 97% of your sports bets. Are you in? http://sportsbettingsguide.blogspot.com/

Baseball Training Aids Will Help Perfect Your Skills

With the use baseball baseball training aids, you should be able to make significant improvements to you or your child's fundamentals. Nowadays there are so many useful tools that every ball player should take advantage of. It is unreal how easy it is today to be able to practice many fundamentals right at home. If you're willing to invest a little bit of money, you should be able to improve your game using these baseball training aids.

The very first training aid, that every ball player should have is a batting tee. They are relatively cheap, and an absolute essential tool for every hitter. You can break down your swing and practice hitting the ball from any part of the strike zone.

Along with the tee, you are going to need some sort of soft toss net to be able to hit into. This will give you something to hit off the tee into. There are a couple different types of nets you will want to look into. The first and most recommended for individual use for your garage or backyard is called a "pop-up" net. This is self-explanatory as they just fold out and "pop-up." They are cheaper than the other style I call a "heavy-duty" net, which are more suited for team use. These are usually made out of aluminum, and feature a heavier, more durable net.

A soft toss machine is also an excellent tool for every hitter. There are styles that sit on the ground, and tripod-like machines that drop a ball out of a chute and flip the ball up into the strike zone. A soft toss machine is very useful for dissecting your swing and hitting balls from every spot in the strike zone. Use a video camera to help out even more for extra analysis. The great thing is that you may do all of this from home, by yourself.

For pitchers, there are many throwing and pitching aids to help strengthen the arm. These include strengthening bands, forearm strengthening equipment, and so on. You may want to look into these if you are trying to strengthen your throwing arm (which all ball players should be doing, not just pitchers).

In summary, good baseball training aids can mean the difference between a professional career in baseball or just being a weekend warrior. Make the investment if you can. You don't have to spend a fortune, but if you are serious about you or your child's career in this game, it should be a no brainer to get all of these tools you can. Not only get them, but USE THEM!

You can learn more about baseball training aids by checking out this page, at my website Baseball Equipment Review.

Brandon Bland is the webmaster of Baseball Equipment Review, a site devoted to informing ballplayers of the quality of today's baseball equipment so they can make informed decisions about their purchases.

Baseball As a Board Game

Often, board games will take baseball fantastical situation and allow people to experience it through the use of a board, some tokens, and potentially dice or cards. Other games will simply take an idea and allow two people to have a battle of wits using the materials that the game provides. Most people stop right here and don't even consider all of the other possibilities that board games can present.

No one thinks that board games can be based around other games, which already exist, just not in a board game format. The world of sports is ripe for the picking when it comes to making an innovative, fun board game. The game of baseball, in particular, offers players a range of opportunity when it comes to enjoying a fun, thrilling game, perfect for those rainy days when you are stuck inside with nothing to do.

Baseball and board games actually have a long history baseball America, with both growing into popularity around the beginning of the 20th Century. There have been many different baseball games manufactured over the last 100 years, yet many people never seem to realize this fact. Baseball greats throughout history have actually made endorsements of many of these games, with Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Lou Gehrig, and Roger Maris all having baseball board games with their names attached.

One recent board game, which offers a strong entry into the category of baseball board games, is the game Triple Threat Baseball. It offers players with two different options when beginning a game. One can either play in the Rookie League or the Big League, each providing players with a different level of strategy to encounter.

Rookie League is, as the name suggests, easier and more geared for children and beginners to the game. The Big League game, however, is more complex, offering players the chance to have to make decisions around the many different layers of events happening in a professional baseball game.

The game doesn't provide for statistics for individual players, which can be both a blessing and a curse. The lack of statistics will allow the game to flow much more smoothly, granting players the opportunity to get into the flow of the game. It can also be a point of disappointment for any players who want to pretend that they are managing real players in their team, as everyone will be on the same footing.

Great Play is another creative baseball board game, one that works well without the necessity for either dice or spinners. This game works between two players, one playing the offense and one playing the defense.

The entire game works on the strategy used when playing tokens in the outfield. Cards are drawn by the offense, determining how well their batter hit the ball and specifically where it landed. Based on how well the tokens in the outfield are placed, it is determined whether the hit was a run or an out. The player who scores more runs in the end wins the game, just as in baseball. The game offers players a great opportunity to think about the strategy in baseball, giving the second best thing to playing the actual game.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for board games, chess boards, and dungeons and dragons miniatures. You will find all these things and more if you visit baseball board games, chess boards.

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