Owner: Baseball Tips URL:http://tipsbaseball.blogspot.com Join Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:08:50 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Baseball equipment and tips for players, coaches, and parents. Explanations and helpful hints about the skills of baseball, including hitting, pitching and catching.
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Baseball in Japan 2008-04-05 04:46:00 In recent years, the arrival in the United States of players like Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui has enlightened Americans about the popularity of the sport in Japan
. But most Americans don't know that Japan has almost as long a baseball history as the United States. The exact date that baseball was introduced in Japan is not known, but it is attributed to American professor Horace Wilson sometime between 1867 and 1912. The Japanese people were immediately intrigued by western baseball, seeing psychological similarities between baseball and their native sports of sumo and martial arts. In the 1930s, a team of famous American baseball players including Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig toured Japan and played games against Japanese college players. Even though the Americans won every game they play
The Experts Guide to Baseball Training 2008-03-30 04:45:00 Batting or putting the wood to the ball, is the key to the success or failure of the ball club and the individual. There is no great mystery about what makes a boy a good hitter. He has to have: 1. A certain amount of natural ability 2. A mastery of the fundamentals 3. Confidence in his ability to hit The phrase natural ability covers a great deal. It means strong arms, wrists and hands; quick reflexes, good coordination, perfect eyesight and speed afoot. Regardless of how much natural ability a boy has, however, he will not hit as well as he should if he does not master the fundamentals and believe in his ability to hit the ball as it comes through the strike zone. Self confidence, of course, stems from success. Moreover, success in batting comes from practice. The following text descri Read more:Experts
, Guide
, Training
Anticipating My Baseball Tryout Had Me Nervous All Day 2008-03-27 04:44:00 Anticipating My Baseball Tryout Had Me Nervous
All Day The winter thaw was in full bloom. All I hoped for about from the fall of 1963 to the winter of 1964 was playing baseball. Weequahic High School's baseball season started when it was still pretty cold. Sometime around March 15, 1964 could not have arrived snappy enough. Even if tryouts started outside in the snow, I would have been there. But they started in the gym, because it was too cold for outside baseball. Hey that makes sense. I recall walking through the corridors of school on that first day of tryouts in a baseball bemusement. I was like a baseball zombie. What would the coach be looking for? do. Would I hit? How would I look? Would I trip over my uniform? Hello. I did not want to embarrass myself. After school was where the Read more:Anticipating
How to Break in a Baseball Glove 2008-03-25 04:41:00 Baseball gloves need to be broken in before use in order to provide a proper fit and play a better game. Different players have different methods of breaking in a baseball glove, and these differing techniques are generally viewed as a personal preference. There are two basic goals in breaking in a glove. First, you want to soften the leather so that the glove is pliable and moves well with your hand. Second, you want to form a pocket or molding an area in the palm of the glove so that it will catch and the baseball tightly. A number of different lotions can be used to soften the leather of a baseball glove. These include: * Foam shaving cream * Manufacturer's solutions * Lexol leather conditioner * Pure petrolium jelly In order to soften the leather, less oil, soap or cream is best. Us Read more:Break
, Glove
Baseball Tips - Catchers and Catching 2008-03-23 22:44:00 Every so often I get a request from a parent who tells me that their child is a catcher and that they would like me to help their child "learn some catching things", or "give them some catching tips" or something along those lines. Sometimes I know the player and have seen him catch before. Sometimes I've heard that the player catches. Sometimes the parent says that the child catches and thinks he'd be a lot better with a little help. This last one can be a little scary because I've been told this by parents and once I start working with the player I immediately realize that he has never caught before, or only caught a few times...probably just batting practice a few times. When I get a request like this from parents, here's what I do: I first assess what the player has really done or what
Baseball Tips - Training Catchers And Fear Of The Ball 2008-03-23 22:43:00 Most young kids don't want to catch because, quite honestly, it hurts. Young pitchers are not real accurate and throw a lot of balls in the dirt, which then hit the young catcher on the forearms, shoulder, wrist, etc. After a good number of these balls in the dirt, many players will decide that catching is just not the position that they want to play. I see this quite often. So how do you get a future catcher to stick with it? The most important thing to do is to teach the young catcher to use his equipment to protect himself. This is done by showing him that a ball hitting his mask, chest protector and glove really doesn't hurt and to let him begin to trust his equipment. Here's how I do this with a relatively new, young catcher. All of his equipment is important. However, I'll focus on w Read more:Training
Baseball Tips - Catchers - Where's the Instinct? 2008-03-23 22:40:00 Sometimes I'll be watching a game and one of the teams has a pretty darn good catcher. I mean, he has a cannon for an arm, good size, quick feet back there, blocks real good, and on and on. But little things happen in games with guys like these and I sit there scratching my head thinking, "Why didn't he do this? Or, why didn't he do that? Or, he had him there if he would have just thrown it!" There can be a small list of these things that this "pretty darn good" catcher does, or doesn't do. It's only recently that I think I realize why I see this type of thing today. Think back, you older guys, when your video game was Pong, or at the best, the original Atari. There were no computers (and, no Instant Messenger, thank God!), no cell phones, no X-Box 360 and so on. What did we do, besides ha
Baseball Playoffs...Yankees and No Braves? 2008-03-23 22:39:00 October is a beautiful month. The cool crisp days, the changing colors of the leaves, and for sports enthusiasts,...playoff baseball. When it comes to the playoffs, you could usually count on two things, the Yankees
and the Braves
. Although neither team tends to stick around very long once the games begin, you could always count on both of these teams being there come playoff time. This year however there is a changing of the guard. When the games begin, the Atlanta Braves will be watching on the sidelines like the rest of us. No Ted Turner, no Tomahawk Chops to annoy you, and no early exit for the Braves in the first round of the playoffs. This is really a good thing. For almost two decades now, Brave fans have watched their team tear through the regular season, running away with the div Read more:Playoffs
Baseball Tips - Catchers - You Never Know Who's Watching You 2008-03-23 22:39:00 Here are a few baseball tips for all catchers to think about, especially catchers playing in high school and the AAU or similar type leagues during the summer. When our team gets to the field before a game, we are usually there 1 ½ hours before the game. The other team gets there around the same time or just a little bit later. As I stand there with other coaches we're just talking about stuff, baseball and non-baseball, and just watching the players from both teams playing catch, soft toss, whatever. As soon as most of the players from the other team arrive and are out on the field doing their thing, it's only natural that evaluations start. What I mean is the coaches are looking at and watching players on the opposite team and evaluating them. They are looking at who is big, who is sma Read more:Watching
Baseball College Recruiting: 10 Facts Baseball Players, Coaches, and Parents Need to Know 2008-03-23 22:38:00 Although many of the colleges want you to believe you have to be the top of the top for baseball college recruiting, that isn't always so. In fact, many times colleges are assuming that they are not looking at the top 5% because those student athletes may already be spoken for. Some things to remember:1. Grades count. Sure, athletic ability is important, but do you have the grades to get into the college admissions office and catch their eye even without your sports ability? You should have grades that support you as a well-rounded student, not just an image of a ball player alone.2. Do you know what a college coach values in a player? Is it the same as a high school coach or a teen-level coach? What do you bring to the coach that is different from the myriad of other players your age and Read more:College
, Players
, Coaches
, Parents
Baseball Tips - 20 Minutes And Out 2008-03-23 22:38:00 These baseball tips can maybe help you think of ways to keep your baseball training and drills productive in the off-season. This is especially important for catchers who may have just put in a very long summer season behind the plate. Catchers have a greater number of skills that they need to practice compared to other players on the team. This can be a problem if there is a long layoff between the end of the summer season and the beginning of the High School season. The catchers now have to do a lot of training in a short time to get sharp on the throwing, blocking and footwork skills that catching requires. It's never too early to start the catching training and drills. The trick is trying to keep a young mind and body motivated for most of the year if this is their only sport. The sum
How To Choose A Great Baseball Bat 2008-03-23 22:37:00 The baseball game has attained great fame, across the world. In fact, this game is a favorite past time of most of the US citizens. This game has encouraged many sports lovers to take it up as a career. You may see many youngsters practicing this game in a hope to become a professional player, one day. This is the reason that the sports items related to baseball have become famous among most baseball lovers. In case, you are looking out for purchasing a great baseball bat for yourself, you need to sit and contemplate on certain important issues on this topic. Here are some experts tips on choosing a great baseball for yourself. The most important fact to take in to consideration while choosing a baseball bat is that, the bat must suit your specific requirements. The length, weight and mate Read more:Great
Wood Baseball Bats Versus Aluminum Baseball Bats 2008-03-19 04:40:00 Whether you are part of the Little Leaguers, Senior Leaguers, college student's league or professionals, when it comes to baseball, the big questions that pops up is what kind of baseball bat you will use. And, if you really are a baseball player, you definitely know that the discussion is between aluminum bats and wood baseball bats. One important piece of information you should know is that, in softball, little and senior league and college baseball, most of the bats are made up of aluminum. And yet, when it comes to professional baseball, players say that wood baseball bats are a must. You are now probably wondering what you should choose between these two baseball bat types. And that is why we are here, to discuss the pros and the cons of each type. Nowadays, baseball bats can be pur Read more:Aluminum
Baseball's Evolution from Humble Origins to Spectator Sport 2008-03-19 04:40:00 Baseball seems always to have lived more in myth than in history. Children in England and the United States had been playing variants of the game for years such as rounders, one o' cat, and base. In 1845, some young men in Manhattan organized themselves into the Knickerbockers BaseBall Club and wrote down the rules of the game they were playing. Twenty years later dozens of baseball clubs in New York and Brooklyn, and their journalist brethren, had made what they called "the national pastime" more popular than cricket, and the metropolis had become the country's first baseball powerhouse. As baseball clubs were transformed into entertainment businesses, so grew their need for first-rate players who could attract paying crowds. Although distinctions between players and their clubs (now re Read more:Evolution
, Humble
, Origins
, Spectator
How To Collect Autographs Of Your Favorite Baseball Players 2008-03-19 04:39:00 If by any chance you live in the United States of America, there is a high chances that you are a baseball fan. As the game of baseball gets more and more popular all around the world, you can find baseball fans in more and more areas of the world. And, if you do love this sport, you are likely to be one of the many baseball fans who would love to get autographs of their favorite baseball players. The general opinion is that it is almost impossible to get autographs of the best baseball players. In reality, things are not like that at all. Getting the autograph of your favorite player is much easier than you might think. Don't be a geek and think that the only way to get an autograph to the player you admire more is going to the stadium and fighting with the large crowd for a chance to ge Read more:Players
, Collect
, Autographs
, Favorite
Baseball... Anyone? 2008-03-19 04:38:00 How it all began What comes into your mind when you hear the word baseball? For those of you who have been in a real baseball event would it lead you to think of a huge stadium, an open field, the heat of the sun, the cheer of crowds, the cracking of the bat as it hits the ball, or the shout of the umpire of what decision he has for the teams? For those of you who in anyway have not experienced being in a baseball game but have seen it through sports channels or heard it on the radio or viewed it online, you might also have the same perception of the game. For those who are not into baseball but may have had the chance to observe a game or two, it might be obvious that the spectator watches two teams playing against each other, there is a presence of a pitcher, a batter, an umpire or refer Read more:Anyone
A General View Of What A Baseball Park Is 2008-03-19 04:38:00 As general as one can get in the definition of a ballpark it is that place usually a field where the game of baseball is played with the audience and all the other facilities included. If you are quite familiar with the look of a baseball field, you might have noticed that it is with a large diamond shaped area having white plates where the players would race around to score. In the technical aspect of the ballpark, the area shaped in a diamond is called the infield containing the bases, a home plate and the area where the pitcher stands which is commonly known as the pitcher's mound. Two white lines (also known as the foul lines) runs perpendicular along the sides connecting the plates. These lines determine what is in and out of play. Between the foul lines and beyond the infield is what Read more:General
Holding The Runner In Baseball 2008-03-19 04:37:00 When playing a runner leading away from the base, any infielder has these objectives-catch the runner off the base; make the runner run the full 90 feet to the next base. The latter objective is very important at 2nd, because it is the spot from which a runner can score on a good single. The runner leading away from 2nd usually has the second baseman in his field of vision. If the second baseman bluffs a run for the bag, the runner will see him and start for the base. By the same token, if the second baseman doesn't pay any attention to the runner, he gives the runner an opportunity to stretch his lead. While the second baseman does not always have a good chance to work a pickoff play with the pitcher, he can decoy the runner into such a play for the shortstop. Visualize this: Runner
and s
Baseball Memorabilia Must-Haves 2008-03-19 04:37:00 If you are not familiar with the term memorabilia, then you must know that memorabilia refers to individual items of historical value such as programs, posters, brochures, clippings, buttons, pennants, cards and stickers. So, baseball memorabilia must-haves refer to baseball souvenirs. And, when it comes to baseball souvenirs, the most common things that people collect are baseball balls and baseball bats, most of the times with original autographs of some players on them. Autographed collectible items have grown into a huge industry. There are hundreds and hundreds of places where you can buy baseball memorabilia. The easiest way to find baseball memorabilia is by surfing the internet. Just type "baseball memorabilia" on a search engine and you will instantly find hundreds of websites t Read more:Memorabilia
How to Bet on Baseball 2008-03-19 04:36:00 Baseball season is just around the corner. Finally! No sport offers more consistency or more opportunities to make money than baseball does. Baseball is potentially so profitable that, legend has it, sportsbooks just hope to break even over the course of the season. Despite the comparative ease of handicapping baseball, though, many people who regularly play football or basketball haven't crossed over to baseball yet. The biggest reason for that is probably that differences between betting on baseball and the other sports can be intimidating if you aren't familiar with them. If you're one of those people who isn't sure how to bet on baseball, then here's a crash course to get you ready for the season. Money lines Though money lines are available in almost all sports, they are the most comm
Mike Lineback/baseball 2008-03-19 04:31:00 Sometimes flying under the radar is just dandy as far as Profesional Handicappers League All-Around standings leader -- by a large margin -- Mike Lineback is concerned. It's nice to have your name and picture front and center, but disguises can come in handy when a 'capper wants to experiment without being detected. One year Lineback, who takes pride in his professional accomplishments and the myriad competitions he has won, entered a baseball
contest under an alias, picking only underdogs the whole way. Playing the right pooches is vital to his long-range winning strategy for beating the baseball bookmaker, which he believes can be done, despite protestations to the contrary. "Learn to play underdogs or underdog situations with confidence," he said. "This is the key to long term succ
Early Season Baseball Betting 2008-03-19 04:31:00 After more than five months off, the first pitch of the new baseball season is nearly here and bettors are getting ready. Preparation for the baseball season is already taking place by looking at injuries, depth charts, player transactions, statistics and many other sources to get ready for another long but enjoyable year. Early
on in the season could be the most important since this is where betting momentum is either built or never established and that can take its toll throughout the summer months. Hitting your stride early is huge. Do Not Bet Many Games Early On With 2,430 games being played during the season, there are plenty of betting opportunities that are going to occur so there is no reason to let it all out early in the year. A lot of veteran baseball bettors don't even play d Read more:Season
Home Run Madness: Getting Washington Senators Baseball Memorabilia 2008-03-19 04:28:00 Are you a fan of the Washington
Senators? Do you love watching your favorite team score its home runs and blast through the innings with all the points they need to win? Then you will surely salivate for the best Washington Senators baseball memorabilia, which are great when bought as is - and even more precious when signed by your favorite players. There are many sites on the World Wide Web that offer Washington Senators baseball memorabilia. Some sites will offer forums and services in which Washington Senators fans can discuss plays, arrange meetings, and even trade goods both autographed and unsigned. Other sites will offer auction services, where Washington Senators fans can bid on their favorite items, and where prices can range from almost absurdly low for brand new merchandise, and Read more:Memorabilia
, Madness
Guide to Babe Ruth's Baseball Memorabilia 2008-03-19 04:28:00 Baseball is the number one sport that has captured the hearts of Americans, both young and old. That is the reason why baseball memorabilia is also popular and in-demand in the country. Nearly all the things that baseball athletes use in and out of the field have fetched a considerable amount of money, especially those that have been used by baseball legends like Baseball Hall of Famer Babe Ruth
. For many baseball fanatics, money is not an issue. They are willing to pay a huge amount of money for rare mementos and collectibles like bats, signed pictures and baseballs. Most of their collections are also well guarded and increase in value through time. Top collectors seek after baseball memorabilia left by Babe Ruth because the man is a legend. Anywhere he was placed, he consistently showed Read more:Guide
, Memorabilia
Outthinking the Batter When Pitching In Baseball 2008-03-19 04:27:00 A boy may have a strong arm and know all the mechanics of pitching, but if he doesn't think about the hitter's weaknesses and strengths, he'll become nothing more than a "thrower" and will not help his team much. A pitcher, even more than a catcher or manager, will know which of his deliveries the batter can or cannot hit. That is, if he studies the hitter constantly. This is just as true in Little League ball as it is in the Major Leagues. As a matter of fact, the younger the hitters are, the more faults they have. Thus, the young pitcher has a great advantage if he thinks about the hitters. Here are some general principles to follow. Try to get "ahead" of the batter with the first pitch. That doesn't mean to groove the ball waist high and over the center of the dish. That means get the b
Baseball Tips - Catchers - Just Let 'Er Rip! 2008-04-10 04:47:00 Did you ever get to a game and as you're watching the players warm up you notice that the catcher seems to have a pretty good gun? He's snapping throws off to other players and throwing ropes in long toss. He just looks good. Then the game starts. Well, inevitably, a guy with half descent speed gets on first and gets the steal sign and takes off on a following pitch. The catcher pops out of his crouch and throws an absolute rocket towards second base. However, it's too high and sails into centerfield. The next thing you hear is the coach yapping away with things like: "Hey! Get it down! No one can do anything with that throw!""Hey! Follow through!""Hey! Throw down, not up!""Hey! Get it down! I'd rather have it in the dirt instead of out there!" All of the above is true, for the most part.
What I Know And Remember About Baseball - Hot Bats 2008-04-29 22:38:00 Banjo hitters are always on the look out for hot bats to get them out of the cellar. What they do not realize is that getting on base at a higher frequency outweighs the over the wall thrill of crushing the baseball. At the amateur level the playing field was leveled by having bats certified. The figures and ratios for these different levels of certification were designed to protect defensive players. Once the batter puts the ball into play, the defender only has their glove, skill and ability to keep them out of harms way. Yet even with these protections there are fatal results. Most notably was a promising college pitcher that for what ever the reason was not able to protect himself from the ball being struck. Sadly, a line drive to the forehead resulted in a fatal injury. Ball Exit Spee Read more:Remember
How To Improve Your Baseball Hitting Simply Thru Practice 2008-05-01 22:38:00 Much like everything in life, you get better at things the more times you do them. Baseball Hitting
is no different. For this reason, the best baseball hitting advice anyone can give you is to practice your swing. Mickey Mantle was said to swing the bat at least 100 times a day right handed and then do the same left handed. Also, modern day players like Barry Bonds are said to swing the baseball bat 500-1000 times a day. If this strategy works for the pros, it can also work for you. How to implement this Baseball Hitting Strategy: 1. The best strategy is to divide up the swings throughout the day. After you get up in the morning, take 25 cuts batting from the right side and then take 25 cuts batting from the left side. (It does not matter if you are not interested in switch hittin Read more:Improve
, Practice
A Brief History of the Rise of Baseball in Japan 2008-05-05 22:40:00 Sometime between 1867 and 1873, an American professor, Horace Williams, at what is now Tokyo University, is credited with introducing baseball to the country of Japan
. Williams came to Japan to teach English and American History
, but his sports interest is what has impacted Japan the most. Fellow American Albert Bates, teaching at Kaitaku University, organized the first baseball game in Japan. The first Japanese baseball club, the Shinbashi Athletic Club Athletics, was organized in 1878 by a former U.S. student who was a fan of the Boston Red Sox. By 1896, the skill of the still amateur players was demonstrated during the first international baseball game played between Ichiko team from Tokyo's First High School and an American team organized at the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club. The Read more:Brief
Love at First Strike-Baseball in Latin America 2008-05-10 22:41:00 Baseball in the United States dates back to the 1840s, but many other countries picked up and played the sport soon after. In Cuba, students who enrolled in the United States educational system returned home to the island nation with a bat and a ball. The popularity of the game in Cuba was so high as to be considered part of the identity during the war for independence during the late 1800s. The Read more:First
, Latin
, America
, Latin America
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