Hello Baseball Fans,
As you know, baseball can deliver something new, or at least something new to you, every single day. Whether it be a crazy fielding play with an amazing dive, throw, or bounce or a batted ball that seemingly took flight, you just never know what you may witness. Thus, another reason to always keep your head in the game. Recently, I have had what we’ll call the pleasures of the following: playing in the rain (we got through the bottom of the fourth before suspension), hitting a home run on a 3 and 2 count, and witnessing for the first time a live MLB game where there was a reviewed play. These events provoked some new-to-me thoughts due in part to a refreshed and zoomed-in perspective on the game.
As the light drizzle became a solid soaking, my team batted in the top of the third as pine tar was being used on our wooden bats like it was some new trend. Yep, everybody was doing it. Never one to stoop to the ‘new’ school level of using batting gloves, I too lathered the grittiest of all compounds on my weapon of choice and even directly on my bare finger tips in hopes of bringing our team some offensive destruction. Unfortunately, I would go down swinging on five pitches. However, my weapon was still securely in my possession. That’s nothing to brag about though, right?
In the middle of the third inning, I took my place on the diamond at the hot corner. On each of the three warm up grounders that bounced and sprayed my way, I used a choking style of a grip that even included an extra digit being placed across the seams as my ring finger joined his indexing and middling brothers so as to make sure our first sacker would indeed receive my throw. After the third one reached his mitt to complete the trifecta, despite a lack of zip on the ball due to the necessary change-up like three-fingered grip, I readied myself by raking my turf with my spikes and threw the game ball to our pitcher. All routine one could say. But that’s when I realized I still had leftover pine tar residue on the fingertips of my throwing hand. And I thought to myself, why shouldn’t my hurler be legally allowed the same option?
There have been several recent discussions within the media and ensuing questions to managers and batters about such a possibility. Many are in favor of letting the guys who chuck balls up to 100 m.p.h. use anything they want in order to maintain a good grip and a higher level of safety for the batter as a result. The batter is deemed to be in good hands when the pitcher can get a solid grip in cold or wet conditions.
Well, I still side with the current and old school rule. You need to look out for ‘in your ear’ pitches at all times anyway. If the pitcher has a sticky substance on his arm, hat, glove, or what have you, he should be thrown out. Pine tar does not make the bat more powerful or accurate in meeting the ball. It just aids in holding onto it during powerful swings. Pine tar is only allowed to be 17″ up the bat from the handle side of the bat so it doesn’t get on the ball. That’s mostly so the ball stays white, but it can effect the ball’s surface, and therefore path, when being hurled. Umps formally permit the pitchers to blow hot air on their hands when on the mound in cold weather only and a rosin bag is a fixture of the back slope of the hill. Those are your tools boys. Use them accordingly. If pine tar or something else is legalized, it will be on the ball. Guaranteed. And there’s no betting in baseball, but you can bet on that one. And at the rate baseballs are discarded to make fans’ days these days, we’ll never bust anyone putting it on the ball because the evidence gets removed quickly. It’s a sticky situation (I couldn’t help but to type that), but case closed folks.
Ok, a homer. Hitting a homer. It’s a real sweet feeling when that ball leaves the yard, clears the fence, or what have you. Ironically, that ‘feeling’ is one of emotion and most times not physical. If you hit one good enough to remove the necessity of running like a desperate sprinter for over 360 feet, you can hardly feel it in your hands because you’ve just gotten that ball on the sweet part of your barrel at the front edge of the plate and all squared up nice-nice. There is no better ‘feeling’ because you didn’t feel it and you get the internal excited feeling rounding the bases.
Prior to a few weeks ago, it had been a looong time since I last homered. Roughly seven or eight years (to my credit, I didn’t play for four of those years; shame on me though.) and that was with an aluminum bat. This time, I did it with a nice Rawlings maple bat. I looked for the traditional ash when I bought it, but there wasn’t any in stock that day. We were facing a tough righty pitcher who threw in the low to mid 80s and had a hard slider. This is a 28 and over player age league and this guy could be dominant in the 18 and over league with the younger guys. In in the top of the sixth, we were down by one as I readied myself to lead off the inning.
I quickly got behind in the count 1 and 2. Then, I followed a fastball off, checked my swing in time on a slider that the first base ump denied the catcher’s appeal on, and then worked the count to 3 and 2 on a high hard one. For the seventh pitch, I stayed with the fastball-adjust approach where you look fastball to respect the pitcher’s speed and adjust to off-speed upon recognition. It’s often much easier said than done, especially with a high quality pitcher. This guy was relieving late in the game. Earlier in the game, I struck out badly two times on the starter’s curve ball. I couldn’t pick it up on his delivery and I knew that he and the catcher knew it too. His stuff was far from dominant and his fastball was 10 m.p.h. slower than this guy’s, but I had a party when they took him out. By that time I was more than frustrated and begging for anyone else to pitch.
Ok, ‘fastball-adjust’ I thought to myself as I dug back in the batter’s box. I swung as if I knew what pitch was thrown and where the ball was going. I don’t know how, but that’s what it was like. It had that no-feeling feeling as I made contact and ran out of the box, saw the path of the ball, and knew it was going to go out. I ran hard and then purposely harder as the ball landed on the far side of the left-center fence. It was a no-doubt-about-er. I continued to run harder than most people do for a stand-up double all the way around the bases, maybe cracked a smile at the plate, and definitely did as I reached the bench after two rounds of high-fives with my teammates. It was SWEET off a tough pitcher and was a very meaningful run as it tied the game up at 13 (of all numbers) and ended that way after seven innings and darkness fell upon the field.
Here’s what that long-winded scenario made me realize though. I strongly believe in running at a decent clip on homers. Others can do as they wish and I’m ok with it, but the trot does not fit this guy and why not move quickly when you’re technically the only guy playing at that moment?! Anybody can stroll. But here’s the bigger idea. When you strike out or roll your wrists over and meekly bounce out for an easy 6-3 play, you know EXACTLY what pitch it was and where it was. Every time. After this homer, a teammate asked me what pitch it was. I did not know. I was thinking it was the fastball, but as others were complementing the hurler’s speed ball, I questioned myself and said maybe it was the slider after all. Imagine that, the play-by-play is inconclusive and ironic for sure. In conclusion, see the ball and hit the ball. No thinking, meat!
A couple of weeks ago, I was in Cleveland to watch the Indians take on the ChiSox. Chris Sale pitched a great game for Chicago while Carlos Carrasco was lit up for five runs in the first. The Sox took it 10-3. Later in the game in the top of the 7th, with the score out of hand, Chicago’s Adam Eaton hit a ball up the middle that second baseman Mike Aviles fielded and then wheeled a throw to first. The ump’s call was out. The White Sox immediately wanted a review and got one. I thought, “Hey cool, I’ve never seen one of these before”. It was a very quick decision and us fans in the stands saw it clearly on the video board replay in the stadium. It might have taken one minute at the most. They correctly overturned it and Eaton had his single. Ok let’s play! Nope, THEN the Indians decided to change pitchers. A jog in from the pen and eight warm up pitches took much longer than the replay. I then figured it was a good experience to see a review and it’s a good thing for the game in general. All good things all around. Watching reviews on t.v. is more dramatic (that’s a bad thing) because the rules are often times explained, which is unnecessary. Nobody explains that three strikes on a batter makes an out so why explain review rules? Ultimately, even reviews, like the action itself are MORE enjoyable live than on broadcasts.
That’s all for today baseball fans. Remember, you never what you may get to see so stay in the game!
Later Baseball Fans.