Must Read Article: Spygate…. Philly Style???

Sorry about the recent lack of posts, but we are in mid-season. Please enjoy this link to a cool article related to stealing signs.  I’ll be back with more original posts in June.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Rockies-thrust-Phillies-into-a-new-controversy-o?urn=mlb,240521

Bullpen Routine: Keeping Pitchers Sharp

Here’s a copy of the bullpen routines that we use for our pitchers.  This document was put together by our pitching coach, Mr. Ryan Bemont.  The “Base Bullpen” and “Short Bullpen” are the two that we use the most.  As well, we will modify these routines during the season as needed.  The modification is based on which pitcher needs to be penned and how often he has thrown.  For example, if we have a commonly used pitcher, we may use a modified short pen between starts just to stay sharp and focus on mechanics.  If it is a player that may not be throwing as much, the longer routines will come into play. The short pen is the primary routine used before a game.

FB= fastball

CU= change up

CV= curve

Fastball Reaction Time: Must See Link

I was searching the net, looking for different times related to baseball and softball activities.  I was investigating things like running and throwing times. I came across this really cool site with an interactive activity that simulates reaction time to a major league fastball. It is very simple,  but I wasted atleast 10 minutes of my life before my wife made me stop. Check it out.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/baseball/reactiontime.html

Cure for the Forgettful? : Positive Discipline

This is really a fun post. I’m a stickler for team rules and discipline, but I want to give credit to a coaching friend for this one.  After a varsity baseball practice our sophomores were taking the field and the coach, Mr. Ryan Pierce, found the glove of one of my players. My first reaction was to make that player run the next day, but Coach Pierce had a better remedy. 

“I’ve got the cure for this,” he said.

I thought, ‘I’ll see what he’s got in mind.’

The next day he showed up to practice with that glove, covered in the most interesting array of pre-pubescent stickers in the history of Nickelodeon.  When that player saw his glove, he laughed. His teammates laughed. The coaches laughed.  Coach Pierce turned a negative into a positive. Needless to say, that player has not forgotten his glove to this day.

I have since adopted this policy. Below are some recent victims….. I mean players that were in need of discipline.

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It’s become a family event at my house. As you will see, my 4 year old daughter really enjoys artistic expression on varsity gloves.

I guess the point is, to be disciplined, yet find ways to have fun with it.  There are ways to make your point with out blowing your stack.  Don’t get me wrong, I fully believe that every so often, the bear needs to growl, but if the bear growls too often, it loses meaning.

BEFRIEND THE ENEMY

“Don’t tell your friends about your indigestion. “How are you” is a greeting, not a question.”

-Arthur Guiterman

            As the coach of the home team, it is your responsibility to be the first person that an arriving coach meets.  Thus, you want to leave that coach with a good first impression. It may not be the first time you’ve met that coach. It may be a great friend of yours. It may be the biggest jerk you know.  Despite any of the previously stated scenarios, you only have one chance to make a first impression for that day.

            The home coach should pick the proper time for this meeting.  Remember that the opposing coach is just as busy as you are on a game day.  He may have been on the road for up to 2 hours. His job is to get his troops prepared to play as soon as they come off the bus.  So, he’s ready to get busy.  The best time to greet the opposing coach is on his jaunt from the bus to his dugout. It is a short period of dead time for that coach.  His players will be spending the next 5-10 minutes doing all of the wonderful things that young players today need to do in order to be ready to loosen up. Here’s a brief list: putting on cleats, taking off earrings, covering tattoos, and turning off cell phones. There are others, but I might vomit as I continue to list them. 

            Let the visiting coach know your name and ask him his.  Here’s a little trick in case it is the first meeting for you and the visiting coach.  Look up the opposing coach’s name on the Internet.  Most schools have great websites that usually contain a list of their entire staff including coaches.   I like to know their names ahead of time. I like to send the opposing coaches a welcoming message, but also a one of preparedness. I like to think that the mental edge for the day belong to me.

Finally, offer up only information, such as location of restrooms, concession information, access to the athletic trainer, etc.  Don’t bore the other coach with mundane and trivial problems that you’re having with your players, parents, or other coaches. It’s not a therapy session, just an informational greeting.