The Winter Issue and Convention Guide is available for FREE download here:

http://gothambaseball.com/GB006_WINTER2011.pdf

Gotham Baseball covers the past, present and future of New York baseball, and in this latest issue, which features a pair of aces; New York Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia and New York Mets southpaw Johan Santana. Gary Armida profiles Sabathia’s return in “The Big Man is Back”, while Healey opines that for the Mets, “The Ace is The Whole”.

Also in the issue:

The Catcher Says Bye – Yankees catcher Jorge Posada is retiring. Armida takes a look at his great career.

The Magic is Back? – Joseph M. Lara tries to make some sense of the current Mets by looking at the past Mets.

Reading By The Hot Stove – Jerry Milani reviews some of his top choices for offseason reading.

The issue also includes a comprehensive guide to the three-day event, which will once again feature some of the world’s top baseball instructors in a range of settings, including new Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, New York Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long, pitching guru Rick Peterson and softball star Jennie Finch.

Baseball Digest’s online editor Mark Healey, who is the founder of Gotham Baseball, will also be in attendance, manning BD affiliate Gotham Baseball’s booth with GB Co-Publisher Joseph M. Lara.

The Winter Issue and Convention Guide is available for FREE download here:

http://gothambaseball.com/GB006_WINTER2011.pdf

For more info visit the official site for the event or call 860.674.1500

The event will take place January 19 – 21 and will once again feature some of the world’s top baseball instructors in a range of settings, from small break-outs to general lecture sessions. Last year, more than 1,000 coaches from across the country joined us at the World Baseball Coaches’ Convention.

New Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, New York Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long, pitching guru Rick Peterson and softball star Jennie Finch will be part of this year’s Presenters, which include baseball executives and coaches from all over the United States.

Baseball Digest’s online editor Mark Healey will be in attendance, manning BD affiliate Gotham Baseball’s booth with GB Co-Publisher Joseph M. Lara. Gotham Baseball is this year’s official magazine for the event.

For more info visit the official site for the event or call 860.674.1500

“That was the most difficult part. I’d never been anywhere else. Walla Walla [Washington, Class-A Padres] isn’t exactly close to West Virginia.”

In 1981 he played in 63 games for Walla Walla, hitting .242 with 13 RBI and 56 walks.  He moved through the ranks at a good pace, spending 1982 at Advanced-A Reno, then 1983 at Double-A Beaumont. He started 1984 with the Triple-A Las Vegas Stars and spent that season and all of 1985 there. After playing six games for the Stars in 1986, he made his major league debut for the Padres

“Getting used to seeing good pitching everyday was also difficult. In high school you’re seeing maybe one good pitcher maybe all season. In junior college, maybe one good pitcher a week or every two weeks. They’re throwing harder and they’ve got more movement on the ball.”

Upon being called up Kruk was hitting .464 and appeared ready to hit major league pitching. But he needed veteran leadership and got it.

Padres teammate Tony Gwynn made a huge impact on Kruk. A particular piece of hitting advice came when Kruk was trying to work through the kinks as a rookie.

“He said if you hit to the left, you’re driving a Mercedes. If you try hitting it to right, you’ll be driving a Pinto. I learned how to hit from him. I learned how to hit in a lot of different situations. I wanted to see what he was seeing.”

The biggest issue for many a young hitter proved to be challenging for Kruk as well.

“I had to learn patience. And it was the first time I wasn’t playing everyday.”

Kruk was a natural hitter and he attributes that to an old-fashioned approach to learn hitting growing up.

“We didn’t have no hitting guy from the age of  six years old. We just hit to hit. And it’s the way I’m teaching my kids, especially in golf. I tell them to figure out a way to get the ball in the hole. That’s the way I was with hitting. I figured out a way to hit. I’d done that my whole life. They ruin kids today with these hitting gurus.”

He went on to have a ten-year career with the Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, and, briefly, the Chicago White Sox, where he retired in 1996. It was just announced that he was chosen to be inducted to the Phillies Wall Of Fame.

In 2000 he returned to baseball as manager of the Double-A Reading Phillies. The experience was eye-opening and not at all what he expected.

“I was told, here’s the prospects and you can’t coach them.”

Kruk explains that teams then and today are controlled by concerns about agents who want to protect their clients.

“Agents are potentially destroying baseball. They are ruining it. Because you have teams who want to call agents and see if they improve something with one of their players and then they want to go back to the player and discuss it with him. ”

At the time he was with Reading, Marlon Byrd was the Phillies top hitting prospect and was struggling at the plate early in the season. Kruk recalls the frustration Byrd felt with Kruk’s lack of involvement.

“Marlon came to me and asked me when I was going to work with him. I told him that I’d love to, but explained why I wasn’t. He said to me, “This is my career.” And after that we spent a lot of time together.

He finds the changes in baseball baffling, despite the obvious influence of money.

“You can’t discipline them anymore. I don’t know where we got away from the game and how it should be played. It’s like you have to get a political pardon to work these top young players.”

But it isn’t just today. Kruk recalls what teammate Kevin McReynolds went through with the Padres.

“He was a top pick and they tried to treat him with kid gloves. And he didn’t wnat that. It really upset him. They wanted him to DH [McReynolds was an outfielder] and be really careful because of an injury he’d had. Today, it’s worse. I know for a fact you can’t coach prospects now. That’s why as a coach it was so frustrating. I can’t take a .200 hitter and make him a .300 hitter. I can’t do it. No one can. It was awful.”

It isn’t surprising that the popular ESPN analyst has no new designs on a minor league baseball coaching career. However, his competitive spirit and love of teaching still exists.

“If I were to do anything it would be to coach college baseball or women’s softball. I love the way those girls play the game.  They love it. And it would be fun.”

As usual, the collection of baseball people from anywhere and everywhere was a given. Gary LaRocque from the Cardinals looked as happy as I’ve ever seen him, the Yankees’ Damon Oppenheimer was looking dapper as ever, and for the first time in a milennia, Mets’ PR man Jay Horwitz appeared to be relaxed.

The New York contingent of columnists, beat writers, online correspondents, and bloggers easily outnumbered everyone else, and for the first time in a long time, most had very little to do.

It allowed for some networking time, and as a journalist who also has a business to run, new digital magazines to launch, covering the Meetings is more than just hanging out in the lobby.

I spent some real quality time with a fellow I’ve read many times, but never actually met, Gary Armida. Gary is known for his excellent work over at FullCountPitch.com, and is now writing the excellent Baseball Report Newsletter. What a delightful guy. You can follow him on Twitter at @GaryArmidaFCP.

I also got the opportunity to spend some time with some students from Lynn University, whose department head Professor Theodore Curtis had brought along to get some real-time “lab” work in. Seems Prof. Curtis thinks that giving his students real hands-on work to do is the best way to prepare them for their chosen profession. A man after my own heart.

A great group of young people, Curtis was able to arrange for his group to meet exclusively with some of baseball’s top business execs, including major league officials and even the president of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Jeff Idelson.

“Our students take what they learn in class about the baseball business and now come here and become a big part of it all,” says Curtis. “For Lynn students, learning doesn’t end in the classroom – it begins there.”

While hundreds of other students aimlessly will roam the halls at the Swan and Dolphin Hotel at Disney praying for a bite, Lynn students will take part in their exclusive meetings, discuss internship possibilities at the Job Fair and discover sports industries at the Baseball Trade Show.

“This active learning experience will stay with our students in their future careers as baseball executives and sports business leaders,” says Curtis, who has taken his students to the Winter Meetings each of the last four years.

Lynn graduates now work for dozens of teams and leagues throughout professional sports. Maybe you should go there. Hell, maybe I should go there.

Lastly, like the good professor and his charges, I also spent time at the Trade Show, looking to make some contacts for my sales staffs at both BaseballDigest.com and GothamBaseball.com, as well as look for some cross-branding and cross-promotinal opportunities. I did find some excellent candidates for all of my needs, and I also found some great products.

Annoyed by the price and quality of much of the food in Orlando, if not for the Picabu cafe in the Dolphin (open 24 hours), and the Fountain (a great little diner-type place, also in Dolphin), I would have been very cranky. I also found a few booths I snuck off to in the Trade Show multiple times.

Mama Mancini’s Meatballs – Having been born and raised in Brooklyn, with a mother and slew of aunts that made Sunday sauce, I am a meatball and gravy snob. This was a little taste of home for me. Nice job, chef. Next time, have a little rigatoni, too.

MexiDog – The chorizo made by these folks is awesome. Not for the faint of heart or palate, mind you. Instead of the poor excuse for the wet bars in the lobby of the Dolphin (No Jameson or Irish whiskey of any kind), they should have set up MexiDog stands with ice-cold buckets of Guinness and Harp.

I also discovered some really interesting products:

GI Nutrition – The Karsos brothers have themselves a very supplement business, and their sales pitch is very straightforward and honest. I also didn’t spit any of their products out after tasting them. That’s a good sign. I usually hate protien drinks and bars of that nature. These were solid.

Cutters Gloves – I have always liked Cutters batting gloves, which have unique grips and are very comfortable. What I didn’t know was that they have a new product, that isn’t so new. Longtime glove and bat manufacturer Nokona is now part of the Cutters family, and they should have a new website up and running soon. When they do, go check it out. They make some of the most attarctive, comfortable American-made gloves and bats you’ll ever see.

In the upcoming weeks, you’ll start seeing other products popping up here on BaseballDigest.com, and understand that if we don’t really like’em, we don’t endorse ‘em. That’s a pledge from me personally.

Mark Healey is the Online Editor Of Baseball Digest, the Founding Editor of Gotham Baseball and the host of Baseball Digest Live. You can follow him on Twitter @BaseballDigest9.

This week we will review the Rawlings SC750 pitcher and infielder’s glove.  The glove features an 11.5 reach, a 130 degree deep pocket depth, lace-less heel and pocket and the new REVO Solid Core Technology.

The first thing I noticed about the glove was really how soft and pliable it is.  Gloves purchased at mass retailers or even sporting good stores have been sitting on the shelves under the lights for who knows how long.  This has a drying out effect on the gloves and can make them brittle and hard.  This factory fresh glove is well conditioned and easy to fit and move.  This is a huge advantage when it comes to “breaking in’ your glove.  I still recommend a good quality glove conditioning oil, but buying a glove direct instead of off a shelf somewhere will cut down your ‘break-in’ time from weeks to days.

The lace-less heel and pocket eliminate bunching and binding of the glove.  Not only does this add to comfort in wearing the glove, but makes the glove more flexible and easy to move.  The full-finger index pad also adds comfort to control.

The innovative pocket and web design allow for the three different pocket locations, flat, standard and deep.  The different locations are for player preference and comfort.  Everyone who used the glove though agreed that either a standard or deep pocket was preferable.  Having always used mass retailer purchased gloves I never realized that I had a pocket preference until I used this glove.  For me, the deep pocket location leaves the ball closer to the heel of my hand.  This made for easier and quicker transfer to my throwing hand when having to relay the ball.

The new REVO solid core technology of this glove is the real highlight however.  When compared to other infielder’s gloves, the Rawlings SC750 is noticeably lighter.  This makes turning and flipping quicker and more accurate.  Less weight does not mean less protection though.  I was catching some shots, much harder at close range then you would ever need, and never felt any discomfort.  The best analogy I can offer is that the REVO solid core is like a snowshoe.  It displaces the pressure or weight throughout the core instead of having it all at the point of impact.  Playing catch against even some of the hardest throwers will not leave your hand sore or tired with this glove.

Keep on eye on the lacing as it does need to be re-tightened pretty regularly.  I also recommend that even after breaking in your glove that you keep a softball in the pocket when not in use to help the glove keep it’s shape and not go flat.

Overall the glove offers an almost barehanded feel.  The glove really does become a part of you so you are not weighed down by bulky heavy leather.  Quick effortless movement while catching and transferring will add to your game.

A MSRP of $160.00 makes this a very attractive glove for beginner to advanced players and high school players.

Rawlings provided Baseball Digest with a specification sheet and you can look at that by clicking here. (Link is to a PDF file over 6 MB in size)

Until next time, remember that of all of the baseball equipment out there, only certain products make your game “Gear Driven.”

All of the equipment reviewed by “Gear Driven” was used by the author and members of the Mason County Central High School baseball team.  When possible, the equipment is donated to the team with thanks from Baseballdigest.com.

Of those four inexperienced players, Nick Stavinoha owns the only respectable batting average, going 3-for-10 for a .300 mark. Joe Mather, Allen Craig, and Bryan Anderson have recorded lines of .188, .056, and .167, respectively in limited action.

The statistics suggest just one thing: these players need to receive regular playing time to improve. How is that possible, you might ask? About 243 miles east of St. Louis as the crow flies, happens to be the home of the Triple-A affiliate Memphis Redbirds.

Craig, just 1-for-18 on the young season could benefit astronomically from a stint back down in the minors. Sending Mather down to correct his swing wouldn’t be the worst thing, either. They have both looked pretty lost in the majority of their at-bats, despite performing at a solid level last season in Memphis.

If one of those three is sent down to the minor-league club, then who would come up? Enter Jon Jay. The 25-year-old product of Miami (FL) had an adequate batting average of .281 (142 hits in 505 at-bats) last season for the Redbirds. The left-fielder, however, has seemingly found his groove during the 2010 season. In 16 games, Jay’s line of .368/.442/.574 has most certainly grabbed the attention of the big-club’s executives.

In my opinion, when the production off the bench is essentially non-existent, a change must be made. What better way than to give a player like Jay a chance to show his skills at the most elite level possible. He is currently fifth in batting average in Triple-A, while putting up some gaudy numbers in two important categories: hitting right-handed and with runners on-base. In his 49 at-bats as a RH hitter, he has 22 hits for a .449 average. More impressively, however, are his eight hits in just 17 at-bats with runners-on-base. Moreover, he is six-for-12 with runners in scoring position, tallying nine RBI in the process.

The Cardinals’ offensive deficiencies aren’t likely to be fixed anytime soon, especially without making a move. Calling up Jay, while not a definite solution to the Cardinals’ woes, would perhaps unveil potential in a player that could help the big-club for years to come.

While it doesn’t take a genius to find a lineup riddled with hitting issues, maybe a punitive 5’11” left-handed outfielder residing in the 901 area code can inject a charge back into an otherwise lifeless bench.

Ben Weixlmann contributes Cardinal coverage here on BaseballDigest.com frequently.
You can follow Ben on Twitter by clicking here.

The award – named for coaches whose first goal is winning, and whose second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports – carries a $250 prize, a trophy and mention within the websites and newsletters of Positive Coaching Alliance (www.PositiveCoach.org ) and the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports program (ResponsibleSports.com).

“Rich wins on the scoreboard, and more importantly, he wins by creating a positive, character-building sports experience for youth athletes,” said Jim Thompson, PCA’s founder and executive director and author of several books on coaching and sports parenting, including the just-released The Power of Double-Goal Coaching. “Ultimately, the youth athletes Rich coaches are the real winners, and as those athletes become tomorrow’s leaders our society as a whole wins.”

Several award nomination letters praised Gonzalez for helping instruct players on opposing teams even when it cost his team competitively in the playoffs. “Whether my team is up or down in the last inning of a championship game, I’m going out of my way to help a kid on the other team, because that is what life is all about. Baseball only lasts an hour and a half, and then we have life to live. The most important thing is teaching character and integrity.”

Gonzalez also earned praise for cultivating work ethic and passion.

“The work that you put it has to come from passion,” he said. “You want to instill this passion, but how do you do that? It’s simple. It’s because the players enjoy being around you and their teammates, and when they enjoy it, they’re never going to look at it as work. And I’m not trying to instill that passion just in baseball, but in anything they do in life.”

Liberty Mutual and PCA have also partnered to help youth sports coaches and parents, through the Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports program. Founded in 2007, the program serves as a means to highlight the positive impact that everyday, responsible actions can have on our youth.

The Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports program provides resources for parents and coaches at ResponsibleSports.com to help children reap the full benefits of playing a team sport. The online community incorporates blogs, videos, and best practices on youth sports topics that provide practical, real-world advice. Parents and coaches also can complete guides on positive sports mentoring that offer best practices for handling challenging sports scenarios.

About Positive Coaching Alliance
Founded as a non-profit within the Stanford University Athletic Department in 1998, Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) has the mission of “transforming youth sports so sports can transform youth.” To that end, PCA has conducted roughly 7,000 live group workshops nationwide for more than 400,000 youth and high school sports leaders, coaches, parents and athletes. Workshop attendees have helped create a positive, character-building youth sports environment for more than 3 million youth athletes.

PCA’s partnership network includes more than 1,700 youth sports organizations, cities and schools. In 2010, PCA will conduct roughly 1,300 live, group workshops across the U.S., while assisting thousands of other individuals via online courses at www.PositiveCoach.org.

PCA workshops train coaches to be Double-Goal Coaches, whose first goal is winning and whose second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports. PCA sports parent workshops cultivate “Second-Goal ParentsTM,” who focus on life lessons through sports. PCA student-athlete workshops produce “Triple-Impact CompetitorsTM,” who work to improve themselves, their teammates, and their sport as a whole.

PCA has the support of elite coaches and athletes on a National Advisory Board, including National Spokesperson, Los Angeles Lakers Coach Phil Jackson.

About Liberty Mutual Group

“Helping people live safer, more secure lives” since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group is a diversified global insurer and fifth-largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2008 direct written premium. Liberty Mutual Group ranks 86th on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. corporations, based on 2008 revenue. The company has over 45,000 employees located in more than 900 offices throughout the world.
The eighth-largest auto and home insurer in the U.S., Liberty Mutual sells full lines of coverage for automobile, homeowners, valuable possessions, personal liability, and individual life insurance. The company is an industry leader in affinity partnerships, offering car and home insurance to employees and members of more than 12,000 companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups.

Contact:
David Jacobson, Positive Coaching Alliance
Phone: 650-210-0808
E-mail: david_jacobson@positivecoach.org

Glenn Greenberg, Liberty Mutual
Phone: 617-574-5874
E-mail: glenn.greenberg@libertymutual.com

Charles Sollars:  This trend of the batting practice hat being new every year or two is a cool idea in concept but the problem is that most of these hats are just ugly. I guess they have to be ugly to match the batting practice jersey which is a whole other article by itself. So, for now lets focus on the hat.

Bill Ivie: I disagree, I think it gives a fresh look to a franchise without them having to change their look and really irritate the purists.  It gives fans the opportunity to find something fresh and new without losing the traditions they love.

Sollars: These things are everywhere, from the ballpark to malls!  People will buy them, which means New Era will make a new batch next year.

Ivie: What is the problem with other people wearing these hats? Why are you so worried about what other fans wear?

Sollars: If people keep buying these ugly things one day soon in the near future wool hats will be a thing of the past and that is just something that I can’t stand to think about. There is something classic about a fresh wool New Era on opening day. Then there is the comfort of a ten year old wool hat that team doesn’t even wear any more. The classic wool hat should be left alone. If the boys want to wear a bp hat give em two wool hats.

Ivie: Wool hats aren’t going anywhere.  But the batting practice hats are cooler in the summer heat.  They breathe better and they still hold the traditions of the old designs mixed with today’s styles.

Sollars: If the thought of wool being gone is fine in your book lets take a closer look a the bp hat. First of all why is there NASCAR like piping on these hats?  Secondly why do some teams have a wedge of color on the bill? These hats just look someone ran out of material.  To say I am a Yankee fan is the furthest thing from the truth but the fact that the Yankee hat has something on it other than the white NY is just wrong in my book.

Ivie: These are some of the features that I love about the hat.  The piping gives a three dimensional feel and adds depth to the hat.  Catch up with the times, my friend, everything is high def, why not our hats?  The two-tone look incorporates the teams two primary colors better than the old style’s secondary color barely visible on the primary.

Sollars: Then if you happen to turn one of these ugly things around what is up with the half circle around the MLB logo?

Ivie: I think it’s just style, and I like the fact that my MLB logo does not always have to look the same.

Sollars: I will give New Era some credit there are three hats that I do not hate (Cardinals, Braves, and Tampa Bay Navy Blue). The other 30 hats can be added to the next disco night fire. Yes, there are 33 hats because the Rays, Tigers and Yankees all have home and away versions.

Ivie: Ok, you got me there, more than one hat per team is only ok if everyone has one.  Either there is two hats per team or there is one, but three extra hats is a little strange.

Sollars: While we are on the subject lets also state that the red flag logo hats are ugly as well but they are honoring men and women that keep this land free so we will give them a pass.

Ivie: I agree they deserve a pass due to the men and women they honor.  But I think it was a classy way to honor those men and women.

Sollars: The solution to the ugly batting practice hat is simple.  Teams should allow players to either have a mesh flex fit or wool version of one of their game hats as option one.  Option two would be a throwback cap.  Finally, if New Era and MLB say that the hats have to be different so that they can sell more hats, then please just keep the hats to no more than two colors, one for the bill and one for the panels.  Unless the team wants to do two white panels on the front.  This will keep us all from having to wear piping or zig zagged color patches.

Ivie: I love the idea of throwbacks, jerseys or hats.   I will also admit that I agree, this is a marketing ploy for MLB and New Era to sell more hats.  But when it comes down to it, I think the players should have the freedom to wear anything with the team logo on it before game time.

What is your opinion of the Great Hat Debate?  Visit the post on the bleachers and vote in our poll.

Peterson and Duquette will speak live and answer questions in the special online event, from which coaches and parents of players at all levels would benefit.  Webinar attendees will also have a chance to win tickets to a Brewers game that includes a face-to-face meeting with Peterson, a 12-month membership to the 3P Sports Program co-founded by Peterson and Duquette to assist amateur pitchers in preventing injuries and maximizing their abilities.

Potential attendees can click here for more information and to register for the webinar, and here for more info on 3p Sports.

The 3P program consists of four components, each designed by Major League Baseball coaches, players, fitness consultants and sports psychologists.  The program includes a biomechanical pitching analysis that will show how a pitcher can increase your velocity and control and reduce the possibilities for pitching injuries.  It also provides 12 months of the pitching drills and pitcher-specific strength training used by the top MLB pitchers.  Monthly psychological tips — combined as performance coaching to help pitchers conquer fear and develop a winning mental edge to pitch at the highest levels.

After years of sampling various products designed to improve hitting, Rob realized there wasn’t anything on the market that would both teach players the proper swing while also increasing strength and muscle memory. To fill this void, he created the VIZUBAT, a unique training device which offers both strength training and improved technique, while helping the hitter visualize successful contact.

Two-time A.L. MVP and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame Robin Yount calls it “the best tool I’ve seen for visualization and strength training. It teaches you to hit the ball properly”

Several sports psychologists have conducted research studies on the professional and non-professional athlete. They proved that when the act of “visualizing success in the sport” occurs, it would contribute to actual success and improvement of their performance skills.

The VIZUBAT visually trains the batter to correctly hit the pitch that covers all areas of the strike zone.

I BELIEVE IN THE VIZUBAT HITTING DEVICE SO MUCH THAT, NOT ONLY ARE MY THREE SONS USING IT, BUT I AM ENDORSING THE PRODUCT TO BE INTRODUCED TO OUR MAJOR LEAGUE PLAYERS,” says Hall of Fame third baseman George Brett.

The VIZUBAT can be used for everything from loosening up in the on-deck circle, to batting-tee drills, to soft-toss drills. It will train the young and the old ballplayer to keep their head and eyes down, on and through contact.

“VIZUBAT’ IS DEFINITELY A DEVICE THAT MAJOR LEAGUE, LITTLE LEAGUE, AND ALL LEVELS OF SOFTBALL CAN BENEFIT FROM, BOTH YOUNG AND OLD!” – Hall Of Fame outfielder and eight-time Batting champ Tony Gwynn.

I had a chance to sit down with Rob Deer for a little Q&A session.

BD : How did you come up with the idea for the VIZUBAT?

Rob Deer : I started by duck-taping a ball to the sweet spot on a bat, cause it was the best way that I could think of to help the players “see” what I was trying to teach them.

BD : So, why the VIZUBAT? Why doesn’t everyone just tape a ball to a bat?

Rob Deer : There is more to the VIZUBAT than just seeing the ball on the bat. The product offers skill and drill training that you can’t get from a ball taped to a bat.

BD : Like what?

Rob Deer : I designed two attachments for the bat. The first is a flat-capped ball for use in tee work and soft-toss. The second is a full ball for use in the on-deck circle.

BD : So, the batter actually hits a ball off the tee with the flat-capped ball? Is it strong enough to handle the contact?

Rob Deer : You bet! We have major league players using the bat every day in their hitting drills. By incorporating the VIZUBAT in tee work a player will be able to see how they are contacting the ball and why.

BD : It sounds like hitters will be able to correct their swing quicker because they can see what they are doing wrong. Is that right?

Rob Deer : Yes. I am not trying to teach a hitting philosophy. Players have hitting coaches for that. The VIZUBAT is a tool that simply gives a visual representation of where and how contact with the ball is made. Hitters are better able to see and to adjust their grip as well as to see where to make contact with a ball in all areas of the strike zone.

BD : How is the VIZUBAT different than other training tools?

Rob Deer : The VIZUBAT is different from other tools because there is nothing on the market that helps develop three key factors in young and old, male or female hitters. The VIZUBAT helps you understand and get a feel for pitches in the strike zone and the correct approach to hitting them properly. The VIZUBAT creates correct habits naturally during tee and soft-toss drills by visualizing keeping your head down on and through contact, as well as focusing on hitting the ball repetitively on the sweet spot of the bat. With the VIZUBAT’S Patented steel shot weighted bags, you can naturally build strength by adjusting how heavy you want the round ball during warm-up, weight training drills, or just practicing your swing. The VIZUBAT allows you to build strength naturally that is conducive to your swing.

BD : How long before people start seeing results from using the bat?

Rob Deer : I’ve seen swings change within three swings off of a tee. I’ve found that younger players catch on faster than older players! I’ve had Major League players take ten swings to catch on, while I’ve had Little Leaguers square up nine outta ten off the tee. I want people to understand that this isn’t designed to be a quick fix gimmick. The key to being a good hitter is repetition of proper swings that build a foundation that lasts as long as his or her playing days! The VIZUBAT does this naturally.

BD : What is the biggest benefit you’ve seen from people who use the VIZUBAT?

Rob Deer : I think the biggest benefit is when I see the young players understand and get the feel of squaring up a ball off the tee because they are doing what I consider to be the biggest factor of all – keeping your head down on and through contact. You can’t hit what you can’t see! Observing how the VIZUBAT gets young players to do this consistently through repetition is great!

BD : So, how much better of a hitter would you have been in the Majors if you had a tool like this?

Rob Deer : Me? Not much better. (laughing) I had already developed my habits by then. It would have made a big difference if I had a tool like this in Little League or High School. I teach hitting differently now than how I hit in the Majors. I was a dead-pull hitter. The VIZUBAT teaches a hitter how to use the whole field; how to contact a ball that is inside, middle of the plate, or outside.

BD : Many big leaguers are using the bat and saying good things about it. What have you seen with those using it at the lower levels (high school, little league, etc.)?

Rob Deer : I recently spent time with over 300 high school players at a camp at Stanford University. The coaches at Stanford run an elite program and were kind enough to invite me to work with some of the kids. You should have seen the kids’ eyes light up as they used the VIZUBAT during tee work? Their bat speed increased and they were hitting solid line drives off the tee. Some of the boys asked if I would put a bat in the on-deck circle during their game. It was fun to watch them use the bat in the on-deck circle and then make solid contact with the ball during the game.

BD : Now is the VIZUBAT just for baseball players or can softball players use it as well?

Rob Deer : Absolutely! The VIZUBAT is just as effective for softball players. That’s why we offer a softball version. Although the trajectory of a softball pitch is different from baseball, it is still a matter of contact point. “See ball hit ball” applies to both. This is why Vicky Galindo endorses the VIZUBAT and has experienced so much success, as well as many travel ball teams.

BD : So, what’s next for VIZUBAT?

Rob Deer : Well, getting the word out and letting everyone know about this training tool. Soon there will be an infomercial on the MLB Network in the form of a mock hitting clinic. We have found that seeing first-hand in a live demo how the VIZUBAT is used really helps hitters understand the value of this amazing tool. In fact, it’s great to see how the Major League players have responded to the VIZUBAT. The real fun, though, is in working with youngsters. I enjoy using the VIZUBAT to help them develop as hitters and to develop a passion for the game.

BD : So, how do I get one?

Rob Deer : Right now they are available online at www.vizubat.com or through Brett Brothers Bat catalogue. Soon they will be available in retail stores.

BD : Well, you have some big names backing the VIZUBAT – both current and former players. I wish you the best.

Rob Deer : Thanks.

Some of the greatest hitters in MLB history have benefitted from the VIZUBAT – so whether you are an experienced hitter or are just picking up a bat for the first time, it’s your turn to see how the VIZUBAT can help you.

While it is still not completely out of the game, efforts like making tobacco use illegal in collegiate and minor league competition and awareness programs in the Major Leagues have greatly reduced usage.

In that spirit, advocacy group Oral Health America today announced the winner of its National Spit Tobacco Education Program (NSTEP) annual slogan contest and encouraged young baseball and softball players to talk to their coaches and parents about tobacco addiction and the health risks of using tobacco products, including spit and smokeless tobacco.

This year’s slogan contest winner is Katie Reynolds, a 12-year-old Little League Softball player with the Pawling Little League from Pawling, N.Y., whose submission, “Chew on this. . .tobacco steals your health,” sends a clear message that tobacco has no place in the ballpark.

“In addition to being thrilled and proud of Katie’s slogan, we are equally delighted that the contest provided an opportunity for our family to discuss the harms of tobacco,” said Katie’s parents, William and Gina Reynolds.

Katie’s slogan will be featured on a pin designed by Oral Health America for distribution at the Little League Baseball World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., from Aug. 21-30. Katie will receive a monetary award, a trip to the event with her family, and an on-field award ceremony.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance, about eight percent of high school students (and 13 percent of high school males) used smokeless tobacco in the past 30 days. The 2008 Monitoring the Future study from the University of Michigan found that over 80 percent of 8th and 10th graders disapprove of people using spit tobacco regularly.

Oral Health America’s NSTEP works with Little League International to educate families about the risks of spit tobacco use, including oral cancer, gum disease, tooth decay, and nicotine addiction. During the 10-Day Little League Baseball World Series, Oral Health America provides tobacco and health education to tens of thousands of young baseball and softball players and their families.

Resources:

www.oralhealthamerica.org

www.nstep.org

Pardon me?

Pardon you what? You mean lousy teams? Well, if a team isn’t that good, it’s considered -

No, no. What was the word you used?

Hold on, let me look back. It takes me a second to rewind. Hmm. Oh, Rankenstein. Is that your question? What’s Rankenstein?

Yeah.

Well, Rankenstein, if you must know, is a term I thought Brent had coined in the interview but I just misheard him. He’d said Frankenstein.

And?

What? That’s all.

You’re still not explaining what a Rankenstein is.

(Heavy sigh) Fine. Here’s what we decided a Rankenstein is. You know how Frankenstein was one man created from various men? You know, this guy’s body, this other guy’s brain, someone else’s bad hair… Rankenstein is where you rank the body parts of various baseball players, throw them together, and make the perfect ballplayer.

Huh?

Stay with me. Here’s an example. Let’s say I wanted to make the perfect pitcher; the best pitcher of all time. I’d play The MLB Rankenstein Game! (copyright 2009 Jimmy Scott & Brent Mayne Enterprises, Inc.) I’d go ahead and do this:

1. Greg Maddux’s brain
2. Cy Young’s shoulder and arm
3. Tom Seaver’s legs
4. Curt Schilling’s passion
5. Warren Spahn’s durability
6. Al Leiter’s gift of gab (for media purposes)
7. Roger Clemens’s wife

See how to do it? If you take the body parts of these guys in their primes, you’d have one helluva pitcher.
Here’s how to make the game even better. Limit the eras of guys you can choose from, like you can only choose “Steroid Era” players or post-deadball-era players or players who ended their careers by hitting into a triple play (there’s only one of those guys, so you’re not really playing the game, but if there were a bunch of guys who did it, well, you’d have one sorry fella). Make sense?

Yeah.

Want to take a stab at it?

Sure.

Okay. Here’s your turn. From every Major League Baseball player of all time, create for me the perfect catcher.
Go on. Let’s see what kind of guy you come up with. Chances are, you’re gonna have a little bit of fun. Just like Brent & me. If you want to hear the genesis of this game, listen to our interview and scroll forward to about 54:00. You’ll hear us get into it. You’ll hear the moment of creation. And then you’ll know exactly how Rankenstein became a giant part of your life.

And this year, it’s bigger and better than ever!
What is the Gotham Cup? It’s a Vintage Base Ball Tournament where teams come together to play the National Pastime as it was played in the 1800s – back when players could pick their strike zones, catching a ball on one bounce is an out, stealing is absolutely rampant, and pitchers threw underhanded – just to name a few of the quirky and fun rules that make the Gotham Cup the great event that it is.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

Also, listen to the segment of “Baseball Digest LIVE” below, were we talk to Ken “Trolley” Schlapp, the captain of the host team, the NY Gothams, and the person behind the entire event:

It seems that many players and coaches recognize how little time is allocated during practices for catchers to work on their catching skills. Blocking, exchange drills, pickoff throws, proper handling of pass balls with throw to pitcher covering plate, just to name a few.

Often times it has been said to me that there just isn’t enough time to fit it in a practice. I would like to challenge that idea by pointing out the most wasted 20 minutes in a catcher’s life.

The time is called “Infield Practice”. I’ve lost count how many practices I have observed where a coach is hitting infield practice with often times the starting catcher standing beside them taking the throw from the fielders and then handing the ball back to the coach. WHAT A WASTE!!!

Now I know that some of the items covered during infield practice do require the catchers involvement in a true game situation play. However I have seen at least 20 minutes go by when all they do is catch the ball and hand it to the coach.

I suggest that at the beginning of infield practice another player fill that role, and even maybe rotate with other infielders. During that time the catchers, all of the catchers if possible, are off to the side working on blocking, throwing etc.

When it is time to do the plays that involve the catcher, call them back over and run them all at one time.

I saw this next quote on a web site about how much we depend on catchers to get it right, but how little time we provide for them to practice the skills they will need to get it right in a game.

“It will take a dozen outstanding plays by the catcher to make teammates forget a single disastrous E-2 that could have been prevented by practicing catcher skills.”

I know that scheduling a meaningful practice is always a challenge. But here is any easy fix that will provide at least 20 minutes every practice for your catchers to work on their skills.

- Dave Weaver, Founder of the New England Catching Camp (catchingcamp.com).

I spoke the other night to a great hitter who opened the season 1 or 2 for 15 or so.

Nothing tragic, but not what he was looking for.

It’s the classic case of a player trying to impress or prove himself; of wanting so badly to have a great season that he tries too hard.

We’ve all seen it, and we all know what to tell the guy….

“Relax.”

“Just see the ball, let it come to you.”

“Take it easy, you’re trying too hard, trying to hit a 5-run homer with no one on…”

That kind of stuff.

And it is all correct.   I agree and even say some of that stuff.

But his response should be “how?”

“How do I relax?”  “How do I just trust myself?”  “How do I forget about the scouts and my stats?”

————————

Mental Skills are Just Like Physical Skills

————————

Here’s what few people get: That being able to relax and “forget” about past failures are skills.

They are developed through practice and conditioning.

Just like the ability to bunt or keep your hands inside the ball.

Just like varying your finger pressure on your fast ball.

They take practice.

Would you go out and tell a pitcher in the middle of an inning: “Hey, I know you don’t throw a slider, but this batter can’t hit a slider, so throw him 2 or 3 nasty sliders.” ?

Of course not. Because you know throwing a slider takes practice.

Well, mental skills, like being confident, focused and poised under pressure are skills that take focused and deliberate practice.

Just like any physical skill, and just like physical conditioning.

So there’s a good chance that the hitter I mentioned at the start of this article is now facing significant challenges from his own thoughts and emotions… but he has received zero training on how to deal with those challenges.

In this column I’ll be sharing insights and tools I’ve acquired in about 25 years of studying the often poorly (or not) taught mental game of baseball.

I’ve coached for 17 years, including stints as a college head coach and DI hitting coach.

I would most like to respond to questions from you.

So, what questions do you have about the mental game of baseball?

What would you like to learn to do?