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

Mr. Dowdy is the father of 3 and after re-entering competitive baseball with his oldest that lead to frustration of finding suitable glove, he became an Official Distributor for Kelley Athletic which is available at http://NW.kelleyusa.com

You can also visit http://www.hirschgroupllc.com for more news/tips/articles on the subjects of baseball, construction, building codes and more that most will find a quick way to fall asleep. Thanks for reading my article!

Baseball is often referred to as the Great American Pastime and it is funny to think that the exact history of baseball is vastly unknown. General historians mostly believe that it is roughly based on an English game called rounders. The game grew in popular in the north east around the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. The precise name of the sport had adjusted several times from “base”, to “roundball” to “cricket” throughout the beginnings of baseball history.

At that same timeframe of the early nineteenth century a number of cities began to form teams and leagues. The sport began to grow in popularity enough that the players and patrons of the game decided that they really needed to formalize the specifics of the game. So in 1845 Alexander Cartwright began formulating a list of rules that all teams are to follow by and ironically enough a number of those rules are still followed today.

Cartwright is believed to have been the actual founder of the game and not Abner Doubleday say baseball historians. Cartwright was a fireman that formulated the basic premise of the sport and is credited with creating the first teams that used to play in New York with other fireman. He was credited with forming the Knickerbockers Baseball Club which sculpted baseball history. He then decided to follow the riches of the California Gold Mine and began spreading the game westward. His travels helped to expand this new game throughout the country.

The very first game of record actually took place a year after Cartwright developed his team in 1846. Ironically his team the Knickerbockers lost to the Baseball Club in a game at the Elysian Fields in Hoboken, NJ. As word spread of this interesting game it became more popular and began to have many more participants. So in the 1850’s a number of teams in the northeast came together to discuss rules and expanding the game and in 1858 they created the National Assoc. of Baseball Players, which is recognized as the first baseball league ever created in the history of baseball.

The sport blossomed in the late 1850’s as membership grew from 100 to over 400 teams and then the Civil War came about. The 1860’s civil war time decimated the interest in baseball as there was obviously no time for baseball. Yet, interestingly enough baseball began to travel to other areas throughout the country. Once the war ended the sport began to blossom again. Teams grew and cities throughout the country began to take interest and began to play one another.
The NABP was initially supposed to only be comprised of amateur athletes but like any sport it became very competitive and the best players were compensated which obviously has stood the time of baseball history.

The sport began to change in 1869 when the Cincinnati Red Stockings (soon to be the Cincinnati Reds) decided to become the first professional team and pay there players. The Wright brothers who owned the team decided to recruit the best talent from around the country and they challenged all comers. They were so good that they went 65 and 0. With such little competition the idea of creating a completely professional league was sparked and in 1871 the National Association was developed.

Then in 1876 the National League was created as the National Association was dissolved. The National League which is still in existence today had a stronghold on all the major cities of the time and maintained the best players. In the early 1900’s the American and National league were formed which as we all know still remains. These changes in the 1900’s established the two leagues, the world series and established player contracts. The history of baseball had firmly been formed and was well on its way to establishing itself as the Great American Pastime.

Author is from http://recruitcity.com

Practices in any sport can be boring and unproductive if not planned
out ahead of time. Having a clip board with your practice itinerary
written out is just a good solid idea.You can keep track of your
time slots for certain drills,and keeping these on file, you will
know what you have covered.

Keep your practices to 90 minutes when possible. I realize that
early pre season practices will likely go over due to weather wiping
out some valuable time early on.

Break up the practices with a couple of water breaks, so that you
add some instruction as a group.Water breaks are not free-for-alls,
they are for listening. Go over what you have been doing so far,and
what you going to do next.

KEEP PRACTICE MOVING ALONG!

Practices can be broken up into different stations.A station is a
group of players and 1 or 2 coaches.The term station refers to
whatever skill is being worked on at that “station”.

Typically you will divide your players and coaches up to best suit
the drills you are doing.For example, take 3 catchers and run a
blocking drill for 15 minutes.Then take your catchers to home plate
and along with 3 middle infielders,conduct a throwing and tagging
station.You can also work on back ups at 2nd base,along with pitch
out drills for catchers
.
GET PARENTS INVOLVED!

Obviously you will need help to run these stations. That is why in the
parental letter at tryouts or sign ups, you must be clear in asking
for help. The parents or relatives do not have to have coaching
experience,although it is helpful.

This one good way to get parents to see how much work you put in
to the team.Please make it clear who your assistant coaches are
right away. NAME them in your letter if possible.Just because
someone helps with practice doesn’t mean they are now on the staff.

I know some of this seems obvious,but believe me,it must be spelled
out to avoid confusion.You will be training the parents as well on
how to help with the drills,and they just might work with the player
at home also.

A GOOD PRACTICE SHOULD SEEM TO BE OVER QUICK!

My nightmare practice scenario is this.A coach is trying to throw
batting practice to 1 batter at a time.The coach can’t get it over
the plate.There is no on deck batter to quickly help pick up balls
at the backstop.The rest of the players and coaches are standing
in the field looking very bored.

This is a very common practice,and 1 reason that kids don’t like
baseball practice. It’s too boring. Well I’m here to help you
take charge of your team with an energizing practice.

Use your creativity and come up with some different stations.Or just
use some old stand byes. Hitting stations,throwing stations,catching
stations,fielding stations,or pitching stations.

Rotate your coaches and volunteers to different stations each
practice to give them another station to learn. Keep track of which
person worked what station so you can them experience at all of
stations.

KEEP THEM MOVING!

HITTING STATION

What is stressed at each hitting station is a good balanced stance,
starting the swing with your bottom hand,along with a strong hip
rotation,and balanced high finish or follow through.

We like to use a drill called the Towel Drill. It is simply placing a
folded towel under the back elbow of each hitter.Each hitter then
gets several balls soft tossed to them one at a time.Each hitter
is then trained to rotate the torso to hit the ball without the
towel falling out from under their elbow.They quickly catch on
after a couple practices.This is a good drill and inexpensive.

Another drill is balanced beam drill.Using a 60 inch 4×4 flat on the
ground,have the players hit a ball off of a tee or soft toss to them
to see whether their swing is balanced.It will also show you if they
are stepping out of the batters box.

I use soft toss all season long.Try a purchase a hitting net to set
up wherever you go during the season.Using soft toss you can look
at the player’s swings to see whether they are swinging correctly.
All of the other hitting stations work a different part of the
swing.Soft toss is where you can see the progress of the stations.

REPETITION, REPETITION REPETITION

Baseball skills are learned with repetition.We must guard against
boredom however by keeping station times to 15 minutes. Have players
hustle from station to station. While others run the stations, the
manager can go from station to station and observe players while
heaping praise on them.Stop at a station and interject if needed.

Take a water break after all players have cycled through stations,
and go over the fundamentals of the drills again.Also preview what
they are going to do next,and praise their efforts on previous
drills.Have a coach actually demonstrate the drills coming and what
expect.Take questions from players if needed, but don’t get off
topic.90 minutes goes by fast.

Be sure to praise players who are doing drills correctly for their
skill level.Remember not all players have the same skill levels,
but all players need consistent praise and encouragement.

90 minute practices do not include 15 minute prepractice meeting
and warm up time. Please have parents bring kids 15 minutes early,
or if you are really on the ball, just schedule practice time 15
minutes earlier.

WARNING :COACHES MUST BE EARLY TO GAMES AND PRACTICE!

Parents will not get players to games and practice early if they see
coaches and manager getting there late.Set an example right away!

My son had a coach who would always be there when we arrived and
we were usually 30 min early for practice and 1 hour early for the
game.We only arrived before him twice,and that was because we left
even earlier than normal.There were no issues on that team about
latecomers.

Getting to games early also helps to get good dugout sides if they
are not marked.You can look at field conditions during uncertain
weather.You can do some work on fields if needed or permitted.If it
was a difficult place to find, you can communicate that to others
by phone so they aren’t late.It shows other team that you mean
business,it may give you a slight psychological edge.

PRACTICE EXAMPLE

Practice is set for 12 noon

1150 or earlier - you arrive to get make sure everything is set,
bases,pitching rubber,equipment, etc…

1145- players arrive hopefully, put them in parallel lines 20-35 ft.
apart depending on age group. Have begin warming up using proper
mechanics. Any overthrows are to be picked and run back into the
line. This prevents more overthrows from further away.

12 noon Call practice to order. Go over what stations are being set
up and which adults are running them.Divide players up as equally
as possible,splitting up buddies,and or siblings.

If this is 1st practice using stations,please demo for kids what you
want at each station.

Station 1 A drill called Fly

Players line up single file, coach throws a football pass type throw
over the shoulder of player on the run to make the catch.Run the
ball back to the coach on the outside of the line so there are no
collisions between players. do this for 10 min.

Station 2 Fly ball drill with tennis balls

Using a tennis racket, hit fly balls to a single file line of
players, one at time. Players must use 2 hands with tennis balls or
they will have hard time catching them. do this for 10 min.

Station 3 5gal bucket drill

Set up a 5gal bucket at home plate or anywhere else you want.Put
players in a single file line, throw them a grounder or fly ball,
using proper throwing techniques, attempt to throw baseball into
the bucket. Put bucket at least 100′ away depending on age group
of course. Do this for 10 min.

Station 4 Cut off man drill

Have the players rotate as cut off man,throw or hit ball past the
outfielder,have them chase,then pick up ball,using good throwing
form, hit the cut off man.Rotate after each throw. 10 min.

1245pm

Have a water break,go over how drills went.Kid around with players
a little and be very positive. Highlight all the good things you
saw first, then maybe touch on what needs work. Above all,stay
positive,and fun.

1250pm

Divide into 2 groups 1 at 3rd,another at 1st. Single file lines
Have players field some grounders and pop ups, throwing to coaches
or catchers 15-20ft up each baseline. 10 min.

1pm

Put players into regular positions or close to it.Bring in 2-3
players to hit. Machine or coach pitch.Give each player 7 swings,
then rotate to next batter. Each player hits 2 times, then goes out
and shags balls. After hitting for 2nd time,call in another player.
Always have 1-2 players ready to hit,and have everyone ready to
hustle in and pick up balls between hitters.

125pm

Call team together, go over things,and announce next practice or
game time.Thank everyone for being prompt,especially the parents.

BE CREATIVE BE FUN BE POSITIVE

There are many other ways to run a practice, I have given you a
basic format that you can modify anyway you see fit.Just don’t fall
into a rut of doing the same things over and over. Variety is the
spice of life and same is true for baseball.

Sometimes you will have entire practices on fielding or hitting.
Schedule as many practices as the
team’s families will tolerate before the season starts.Once the
season starts, have team arrive 1 hour before game time for some
hitting and fielding workouts.

CONCLUSION

Practice will make your team better.Well run productive practices
will do even more. When you run challenging varied workouts players
will develop their skills quicker. Always encourage working hard
on their games.Most important is be positive,and be fun.

Thanks, Chip Lemin

Whether the Cubs go deep into the post season or if they don’t make it at all, they’ve got Chicago excited again by being near the top of their division for the past few weeks.

Being a lifelong White Sox fan, it feels strange to be writing about the Cubs. But from a marketing perspective, the Cubs are in an enviable position, regardless of their position in the standings. They are sole owners of a clear position in the minds of baseball fans: “The Loveable Losers.” This brand is one of the strongest in all of sports. In fact, it even transcends the sports world and extends to the general population. Ask someone about the Cubs and most will reply with a comment about the team’s record of futility.

I believe the Cubs’ position as the “loveable losers” is critical to their continued financial success. In fact, from a marketing perspective, the most important thing the Cubs can do…is to keep losing.

Until 2004, the Cubs shared this position with the Boston Red Sox. We all know what the Red Sox accomplished that year. Then, in 2005, the White Sox, the only other team with a similar record of futility, won it all. That left the Cubs alone in their category. They have acquired what most companies attempt but rarely accomplish…sole ownership of a clearly defined position.

To effectively brand your product, you must own a position in the mind of the customer. To own that position, you must find a way to differentiate your product from the competition. The Cubs own the position of “losing,” and that has tremendous value.

Cubs fans point with pride to sticking with the same team that has disappointed their fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers. That kind of customer loyalty is something that marketers spend significant time and money to accomplish.

The ultimate expression of such loyalty is when customers associate themselves with your brand. When they buy into what you’re selling, you’ve succeeded as a marketing professional. But when what you’re selling changes, be prepared for rocky times ahead.

That’s why the Cubs must keep losing. Once they win the World Series, they lose their point of differentiation. Their long tradition of losing – passed down from generation to generation – is wiped clean. At that point they become just another team trying to get back to the World Series. Customer expectations will change. Winning will be expected. The “badge of honor” that Cubs fans have worn for 99 years, for sticking with them through thick and thin, vanishes.

Ask Red Sox fans what things are like now, more than two years since they won it all. It’s not the same, they say, it feels different. The curse is gone and with it, their point of differentiation. For the White Sox, it’s a completely different situation. They never owned the “loveable loser” brand. The reasons why could fill another column.

At the end of each baseball season, as yet another World Series victory eludes the Cubs, their faithful fans cry, “Wait till next year!”

Be careful what you wish for, Cubs fans.

Mark V. Campbell is President of Marketing Spark, a Chicago-based agency focusing on strategy, branding and positioning. He has helped develop successful marketing strategy for ABC Radio, Anheuser-Busch, Red Bull, Westwood One and other Fortune 500 companies.

As the end of the regular season draws near, and the pennant race begins, the four teams to represent the American League in the post season are all but decided. This will hopefully be a good October for baseball fans and memorabilia collectors alike.

The Red Sox and Yankees have always been historic rivals, and this year is no exception in their heated fight to the finish. Although the Red Sox were dominating the AL East through the summer, the Yankee bats have been a blaze, as they’ve whittled away a Sox 14½ game lead in late May down to the 1½ game lead it is now. Red Sox fans have reasons to be tense. They’ve had a few injuries including Ortiz’s right knee acting up, which has effected his batting. They also lost two of the last three to the yanks this past weekend and then continued on their spiral down, dropping three straight to the Blue Jays, who are 12½ games back in the AL East. The Yanks are leading quite an opposite life. They have won 12 of their past 14 games, racking up a whopping 103 runs in the 17 September games they’ve played, and show no sign of slowing down.

Cleveland has been this year’s surprise success. They squeezed through the last three games against the Detroit Tigers, the second place team in the AL Central, winning by three runs or less each game, and will be well rested for next week.

The Angels have finished with the league’s best record which bodes well for them in the post season, and their tendency to dominate their opposition at their home field will help them succeed in passing through the first round.

Enjoy the post season and don’t forget to show off your sports memorabilia!

I recently graduated from the University of Arkansas with my BA in Journalism (Advertising and Public Relations focus), and I currently blog for http://www.iTaggit.com

Lets Talk about Leather

Wilson Pro Stock, Rawlings Heart of the Hide, Kelley Ixosteer. The preceding are all genuine leather. Each processed at the discretion of the manufacturer to produce a fit and feel they think will win over customer opinion.

But what really makes a good baseball glove? Old time ecologically rough tannin? Sophisticated chrome or right out of the garden vegetable. Each process serves the purpose of converting the hide of the animal into a durable, malleable product that is used all over the planet. What separates the leathers is the final purpose. Say you need a Bentley with a suede interior without flaws, then you need hide from Switzerland or other location that does not use hard fencing or barbs to keep the roaming lawn mowers in. In the Bentley case you need soft, scar free hide sources.

Baseball gloves on the other hand (well, the catching hand) need to fit the purpose of the user. Intensity of game play, skill level, interest, all must be considered in the acquisition of the perfect glove. Perfect is as individual as fingerprints. Everyone has their idea of perfection and the manufacturers do a good job of providing a wide enough selection for all us Joe’s to pick one out and shape it to our will.

Do heavier, more expensive gloves improve your game? The mechanics of baseball gloves are all very similar. There is a period of time where any glove will perform flawlessly. It’s the duration of this time where the quality of the glove comes into play. Game ready glove leather is just that, ready for “a” game. They are designed to be comfortable and easy to close. How many games you actually get out of your $30 to $80 investment varies.

A simple analogy is to think of shoes. A $6 pair of discount shoes feel nice, look great and serve the purpose. Now a $200 pair of work boots are stiff, hurt your feet till they break in and have all the style and flair of dirt. Consider now, which will wear for years to come? At the task of protecting your feet, boots win without contest.

This same theme holds true for baseball gloves as well. Heavier, stiffer gloves will perform longer at the optimum level. Baseball gloves sever double duty. First, they are taught to ‘catch’ the ball. Stopping the ball in mid flight or skipping along the ground. Second, they protect the user from this same ball defenders are trying to catch. How many times have you seen a ball driven through a broken down glove. There is just not enough stiffness left in it to re-direct the ball back into the pocket.

Leather in and of itself is a natural, aspirating product. It absorbs and releases moisture. It can dry, crack or become brittle. Similar to your boots, if the baseball glove gets dirty you clean it. Gets wet, you set it out to dry. Give your glove what it needs. Don’t apply so much oil that it clogs all the pours and can no longer breathe. Don’t fold it in half like an omelet and expect the ball not to jump out of the pocket.

As mentioned previously, Steer Hide, Cow Hide, Pig Skin, Deer Hide, Kangaroo etc., each will have their time to perform as a flawless baseball glove. The duration of this flawless performance does change drastically.

So, consider your level of play; how often you want to buy and break in a new glove then make your selection, get the best deal then……………

GET OUT AND PLAY!

Mr. Dowdy is the father of 3 and after re-entering competitive baseball with his oldest that lead to frustration of finding suitable glove, he became an Official Distributor for Kelley Athletic which is available at http://www.NW.kelleyusa.com You can also visit http://www.hirschgroupllc.com for more news/tips/articles on the subjects of baseball, construction, building codes and more that most will find a quick way to fall asleep. Thanks for reading my article!

Just when you think Major League Baseball is getting smarter, that’s its teams’ managements are becoming more sophisticated and enlightened, one of them becomes so blissfully boneheaded that you feel you’re watching sandlot play and the year is 1899.

The 2007 Chicago White Sox are a case in point. A mere 23 months after being anointed World Series Champions, they’re cellar dwellers in the Central Division.
Are they ashamed? Are they contrite and apologetic? Have they learned some powerful lessons from their astonishing fall from grace?
No, no, no, and no again!

They dismiss 2007 as a fluke, one of baseball’s marvelous mysteries, if you listen to the shallow reflections of owner Jerry Reinsdorf.
His fix for this flawed team is to do more of the same.
Instead of retiring Manager Ozzie Guillen, Reinsdorf re-signed that genius to a contract through the 2012 season!

General Manager Ken Williams made no major trades during 2007, and he’ll probably stand pat, with a few exceptions, in filling 2008’s roster.
Let me reiterate and expand my predictions:

(1) The Sox will not reach the post-season during the next three seasons.

(2) The Sox will not win an American League Pennant again under the current management troika of Reinsdorf, Williams, and Guillen.

(3) The Sox will try to sell charm and nostalgia as the Cubs have done so successfully, as a formula for profiting without winning titles.

What’s a White Sox fan to do?
It’s obvious Reinsdorf doesn’t care about fan sentiment, in light of his needless, foolish, and finger-flipping extension of Guillen’s contract.

So, let’s put the Sox into play. Possibly a suitor, such as the investment group that recently bought the Tribune Company and the Cubs, can be attracted to retire Reinsdorf.
Or, maybe a million fans can ante up a few hundred bucks apiece, and that could do the trick.
Let’s return Reinsdorf to being a fan. If he can’t bear to watch a winner, year after year, that’ll be his problem.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman is a top trainer, conference and convention speaker, and sales, service, and negotiation consultant. A frequent expert commentator on radio and TV, he is also the best-selling author of 12 books, more than a thousand articles. and several popular audio and video training programs. His seminars are sponsored internationally and he is a top-rated faculty member at more than 40 universities, including UC Berkeley and UCLA. Gary brings over two decades of sales, management and consulting experience to the table, with some of the best academic credentials in the speaking and training industry. A Ph.D. from the Annenberg School For Communication at USC, an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management, and a J.D. degree from Loyola Law School, his clients include several Fortune 1000 companies and successful family owned and operated firms.

His web site is: http://www.customersatisfaction.com and he can be seen on CNBC at: http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=417455932# and reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com

Baseball practice should not stop when the season is over. There are several things you can do and as a player, and coaches should give these suggestions to the players and parents after the season to help the players next time around. Why? Because the best time to get ready for the next season is during the off season, not just a couple of weeks before the first game. Building hand eye coordination and muscle memory takes time. Here are some tips for youth baseball players to use during the off season.

Knowledge- You may have heard knowledge is power. Its true especially in baseball. Think about game situations and where does each player need to be. If you are a pitcher work on your grip or a new grip. What plays would help improve the team? Watch other players and teams and purchase some DVD’s and youth baseball instructional books to help with this.

Batting Stance and Swing- Make sure your grip is right, head is down, shoulders in the right spot. Is your stride too long? Do you swing the bat through the hitting zone correctly? This is something youth baseball players can do in front of a mirror at home to imbed them in young players minds and develop muscle memory. Learn the proper aspects of hitting by using a hitting instructor and videos.

Keep in shape- You don’t have to look like a weight lifter but some simple exercises can help develop pitchers arms and endurance. Batters can gain from more power when they hit the ball, and base running(Ah.. something as simple as doing sprints 3 times a week can make you fly around the bases next season. Lets don’t forget to eat right while on this subject.

Equipment- How’s the bat? Is it still the right size? Is the glove in good shape and still fit. Pitching machines and nets should be in good condition for safety. Even the balls should be in good shape. Pitchers need nice seams on the ball and proper weight. Old water logged balls can also throw a hitters timing off. Plus there’s just something about a new baseball!

I am sure coaches and parents and players too can think of some others, but this should get your minds to working. Something I have found effective is sitting down with my son and writing down together what we want to work on. He comes up with some things I overlook. But by all means.. Have some too. Rent some cool baseball movies and play some baseball video games. Baseball is a game after all, and games are meant to be fun.

Author- Brian McClure
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The practice Tee. Golfers have no problem digging out dollars for buckets of rancid, scared and o