Fantasy Baseball Bible

Baseball as therapy from the daily grind or life’s challenges. As a pastime, baseball has mountains of statistics to ponder, miles of ‘what if’ scenarios and the warm glow of summer all year long.

What better escape is there to use? Each and every opinion on Baseball could be the right one. From the subtle details of how to hit a ball to comparisons of old time natural players vs modern technically analyzed players. Each of us can be right at any given moment. Even when we are wrong, its obvious to find the little tid-bit that was left out of the equation.

Therapy indeed. A direct distraction from the doldrums of what occupies your time to pay your bills. Designing buildings, building the buildings, or working in the buildings. Drift away from the tugs of daily life. In other parts of the world people sit and ponder emptiness, this is called meditation. Sitting quietly, blocking out the distractions of the world and focusing on the self.

As Westerner’s bombarded with images, data, noise and more noise from the moment we wake up till sleep finally falls upon us; emptiness is hard to grasp. But the focus of meditation is not confined to the self and emptiness. The simple effort of focusing on something other than what life presents to us thru out the day is just as beneficial.

Baseball has all the right stuff to meditate about. Warm days, green grass, sun filled skys the calm of lackluster play and the rush of a great play, well hit ball or the tension of bases loaded with no outs. Baseball memories tend to improve over time with thoughts bringing up those feelings of well being.

The northern states have the fall and winter seasons where all there is to baseball is the memories and the statistics. Last year, Washington State recorded some 90+ straight days of rain. Biologically, we need sunlight to create vitamin D. Baseball with its fullness of detail is almost a necessity for those deprived of sunlight and constant exposure to dreary weather.

So there you have it, Baseball as Western Zen

By: Mitchell Dowdy

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All major league hitters have compact swings. They could not get to that level without one. What separates hitters at this level is their degree of bat quickness and bat speed. Bat quickness determines how quick they can get the bat to the ball once they decide to swing. This is one of the ingredients needed for being able to wait on the pitch as long as possible and for making contact. Bat speed determines the amount of power that a hitter will produce if solid contact is made when the ball is hit. Once again though, all major league hitters have compact baseball swings. This is vital in order to hit the speeds that major league players face.

You might ask, “If they all have compact swings, why do some strike out so much?” There are three reasons for that and one was mentioned, bat quickness. A compact swing does not guarantee a quick bat. Two, some players put more tilt in their upper body with their swing. When players collapse their back side creating un-level hips, they create more up-swing, leading to greater lift on the ball, but more misses too. Three, some players simply have better hand-eye coordination.

Developing a compact swing should be the goal of young baseball hitters too. This will be necessary if they wish to consistently hit as they move up the baseball ladder.

First, a definition of a compact swing is necessary. Compactness implies a short, tight area and this would define a good baseball swing. A compact baseball swing is one in which the bat barrel goes from hitting position (above hitter’s rear shoulder) directly to the ball as the hands descend into a palm-up, palm-down position approaching the strike zone. The bat barrel stays relatively close to the hitter’s head on the way to the ball, without taking a detour to the contact area. Why is this so necessary? The more compact the swings, the longer hitters can wait on the ball which is a huge advantage when making decisions on different speed pitches.

Following are the drills that will lead to a compact baseball swing, giving ballplayers the best chance of having baseball hitting success:

1. Place a pad under the hitters lead arm and take some swings without the pad falling out till the follow through. Hitters will develop strong quick hands and forearms with this drill and not a long arm swing.

2. Have hitters stand belly button away from a net and take swings with the edge of bat just grazing the net with a full, fast turn. This will force hitters to keep the hands close to body to avoid casting the bat.

3. Have hitter stand with net close behind them (toward catcher) and take swings missing net on way toward ball. This drill is best done with no stride and will not allow hitters to drop the bat barrel

4. Set a batting tee hip high and even height with hitter’s rear hip. Hitters take swings while missing the tee and hitting balls at any level, even knee high – best done with dropped ball drill or soft toss flipped balls.

5. Dropped ball drill – coach holds ball up in air and drops ball into the hitter’s strike zone after the hitter takes their stride. A compact swing is necessary to make solid, consistent contact.

6. Alternate fast and slow pitches until hitters learn to have the same quick swing on all pitches – when players make good contact on both speeds while hitting balls in the direction of where the pitch is located is the goal.

Finally, hitters can perform a few of these drills in combination with the other drills to challenge them further. For example, combining the glove under lead arm (# 1) and the dropped ball drill (#5) with the tee hip high(#4) at the same time can be done.

By: Jack Perconte

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When selecting youth baseball bats it is important to consider the bat’s length, weight, barrel width, and league requirements. While wood bats are available, most people select aluminum or cutting-edge alloy bats for youth baseball. A general rule is to select the lightest bat for its length in order to maximize swing power. Lighter bats are more expensive, while heavier bats are usually thicker and made from a cheaper-grade aluminum. Longer youth baseball bats arm the player with more plate coverage, but they also weigh more. Shorter bats are faster but may force the batter to crowd the plate in order to reach the outside edge of the strike zone.

Also consider the size of the barrel. A larger barrel wields more power and has a bigger sweet spot, yet the larger barrel requires more mass, and so it is heavier. Often selecting a bat is an imperfect science because you can’t really hit a ball in a store, or even really swing the bat for that matter. You might even try going out to a local baseball practice or batting cage. Then you can try many different bats, actually making contact with the ball, and get a much more accurate picture of what bat works for your son or daughter.

Little League baseball bats should not be more than 33 inches long or more than 2 1/4 inches in diameter at the barrel. Little League baseball bats should be taped around the handle and up 10 inches. Bats are measured in inches for length and ounces for weight. Minus numbers are used to show a bat’s measurements. For example, if a bat is 33 inches long and has a (-10) rating, that means the bat weighs 23 ounces. So the higher the negative number than the lighter the bat is for its length.

By: Jason Gluckman

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