Walsh Pearls of Little League Parenting

There are numerous names given to Pitchers or hurler over the years.

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter who attempts to either make contact with it or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is assigned the number 1. he term "pitch" (which literally means "to place") comes from the early days when an underhand delivery was required, as with "pitching" horseshoes. The original rules specified that the ball was to be "pitched, not thrown to the bat." Overhand throwing by the pitcher has been legal since 1884, but the term pitcher and its variants remain in the language of the game.

A team's best starting pitcher is usually called the ACE.

Spot starter is a  pitcher who starts an occasional game (perhaps only one game) who is not a regular starter in the rotation. This is a pitcher who is already on a team's roster and usually works as a relief pitcher. In contrast to a spot starter, who is already on the roster, an emergency starter is typically a player who is brought up from the minor leagues on very short notice because a regular starter is injured. Sometimes, however, even a player who is already on the roster may be referred to as an emergency starter if his starting role arises because the regularly scheduled starter has been injured.

A team's closer or late-inning relief pitcher is called a fireman.

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A relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher brought in the game as a substitute for (i.e., "to relieve") another pitcher.

A pitcher the manager brings in late in the ball game to finish up the game is called a closer. Normally a really good closing pitcher will not pitch until the last two or the last inning to close out the game.

A relief pitcher who usually enters the game in the 7th or 8th inning is called a setup man.

Southpaw is a Left-hander, especially a pitcher. Most baseball stadiums are built so that home plate is in the west and the outfield is in the east, so that when the sun sets it is not in the batter's eye. Because of this, a left-handed pitcher's arm is always facing south when he faces the plate. Thus he has a "southpaw."

Washed Up is when a pitcher looses his ability to fire that ball with authority and hitters begin to blast whatever he throws, then we claim he is washed up.

Fireballer is a pitcher who throws extremely high-velocity fastballs, in excess of 95 miles per hour. A flamethrower.

A headhunter is a pitcher who has a reputation for throwing beanballs.

A Junkball pitcher who throws predominantly breaking balls and knuckleballs, pitches that are difficult to hit due to movement rather than velocity.

LOOGY is a mildly derogatory nickname for a left-handed specialist. An acronym for "Lefty One Out GuY," a left-handed pitcher who may be brought into the game to pitch against just one or two left-handed batters to take extreme advantage of platoon effects.

ROOGY is a slightly derogatory acronym for a right-handed relief specialist. Stands for "Righty One Out GuY".

A mop-up pitcher is usually the bullpen's least effective reliever who comes in after the outcome of the game is all but certain. Sometimes other position players also come in to mop up in the last inning in order to gain playing experience as well as give the regulars a rest.

The fastball (also called hummer and other names) is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," like Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens and Satchel Paige have thrown it at speeds of 95-104 mph (152.9-167.3 km/h) (officially) and up to 107.9 mph (173.6 km/h) (unofficially), relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit. Others throw more slowly but put movement on the ball or throw it on the outside of the plate where the batter cannot easily reach it. The appearance of a faster pitch to the batter can sometimes be achieved by minimizing the batter's vision of the ball before its release. The result is known as an "exploding fastball", a pitch that seems to arrive at the plate quickly despite its low velocity. Fastballs are usually thrown with backspin, so that the Magnus effect creates an upward force on the ball, causing it to fall less rapidly than might be expected. A pitch on which this effect is most marked is often called a "rising fastball", as the ball appears to rise to the batter. Colloquially, use of the fastball is called throwing heat or putting steam on it, among many other variants.

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A ground ball is a ball when hit travels along the ground. There are many nicknames for a grounder. One of the most famous is a chopper, which is a ball that bounces high.

A scratch hit is a weakly hit ground ball that eludes the infielders and leads to a base hit, also known as a bleeder. A batted ground ball that just eludes capture by an infielder, just out of infielder's range, as if it could "see" where it needed to go is sometimes called a seeing-eye ball. Less commonly used for a ball that takes an unusual lateral bounce to elude an infielder.

Daisy cutter is an old-fashioned term for a hard-hit ground ball, close enough to the grass to theoretically be able to lop the tops off any daisies that might be growing on the field.

Worm burner is a hard hit ground ball that "burns" the ground.

In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP), or hit batsman (HB), refers to the batter being hit in some part of the body by a pitch from the pitcher. Per baseball official rule, a batter becomes a baserunner and is awarded first base when he or his equipment (except for his bat):

    * is touched by a pitched ball outside of the strike zone,
    * and he attempts to avoid it (or had no opportunity to avoid it),
    * and he did not swing at the pitch.

If all these conditions are met, the ball is dead, and other baserunners advance if they are forced to vacate their base by the batter taking first. The rule further clarifies that a hit by pitch is also called when a pitch touches a batter's clothing.

In the case where a batter swings and the pitch hits him anyway, the ball is dead and a strike is called. If the batter does not attempt to avoid the pitch, he is not awarded first base, and the pitch is ruled a strike if in the strike zone and a ball if out of the strike zone. In practice, umpires rarely make this call. Perhaps the most famous instance of a non-hit by pitch was on May 31, 1968, when Don Drysdale hit Dick Deitz with a pitch that would have forced in a run and ended Drysdale's scoreless innings streak at 44. Umpire Harry Wendelstedt ruled that Dietz made no effort to avoid the pitch, Dietz proceeded to fly out, and Drysdale's scoreless streak continued to a then-record 58 2/3 innings.

A hit by pitch can also be called on a pitch that has touched the ground. Such a bouncing pitch is like any other, and if a batter is hit by such a pitch, he will be awarded first unless he made no attempt to avoid it.

The rule awarding first base to a batter hit by a pitch was instituted in 1887.

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Hit the deck is when a batter drops or dives to the ground to avoid being hit by a pitch. "The third kind of pitch is the one that is coming right at your head. This one you don't even have time to think about. Some part of you sees the ball as it leaves the pitcher's hand, and something about the fact that the ball is coming straight toward your eye makes it almost disappear into a blind spot. You hit the deck before you even know you've done it."

"Beanball" is a colloquial sports term for a ball thrown at an opposing player with the intention of striking him such as to cause harm, often connoting a throw at the player's head (or "bean" in old-fashioned slang)

Chin music means a pitch that comes near the batter's face. The pitcher's intent may be to cause the batter to move "back" such that it is more difficult to hit a future outside pitch, to frighten the batter into a poorer batting approach, to intimidate opposing batters, or to actually hit the batter with the pitch. In the late 1800s, at baseball's inception, the phrase "chin music" was used to describe razzing or heckling from the fans. It began being used as a synonym for a brushback pitch around World War II.

In baseball, a brushback pitch is one thrown in such a way that the batter must move back to avoid it. It differs from the beanball in that the intent is not to hit the batter, but to force him to back off the plate, and be wary for the rest of the at bat. It is most commonly thrown as a fastball, although sometimes as a curveball. Play-by-play announcers will sometimes call a high brushback pitch as being "high and tight." Some announcers also call it "chin music"

The most prolific hit in baseball today, is the home run. A home run is scored when the ball is hit in a way that the batter is able to circle all the bases, with no errors by the defensive players.
Today most homers are hit out of the playing field within the two foul lines. In the early days of baseball, base balls hit out of the playing field were considered fround rule doubles. Most player in the early days did not try to hit homers because the rules discouraged them. An outfielder was able to score an out by catching a fly ball on its first bounce.

In 1884 the rules were changed so that a ball hit out of the park was considered a home run. Ned Williamson set the major league record of 27 homers in 112 games that stood until Red Sox star Babe Ruth posted 29 homers in 1919, in a 140-game schedule. Prior to 1931, a ball that bounced over an outfield fence during a major league game was considered a home run. The rule was changed to require the ball to clear the fence on the fly, and balls that reached the seats on a bounce became ground rule doubles in most parks. Also, until approximately that time, the ball had to not only go over the fence in fair territory, but to land in the bleachers in fair territory or to still be visibly fair when disappearing behind a wall. The rule stipulated "fair when last seen" by the umpires. In the book "The Year Babe Ruth Hit 104 Home Runs", Bill Jenkinson estimates that Babe Ruth lost at least 50 and as many as 78 in his career due to this rule.

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Slang terms for home runs include, big fly, blast, bomb, circuit clout, dinger, ding-dong, dong, four-bagger, four-base knock, goner, gopher ball, homer, jack, long ball, moonshot, quadruple, round-tripper, shot, slam, swat, tape-measure shot, tater, and wallop. The act of hitting a home run can be called going deep or going yard or going home; additionally, with men on base, it can be called clearing the table. A comparatively long home run can be described as Ruthian, named after Babe Ruth's legendary drives. The act of attempting to hit a home run, whether successful or not, can also be termed swinging for the fences. A game with many home runs in it can be referred to as a slugfest or home run derby. A player who hits a home run is said to have "dialed 8", from the practice of having to dial 8 from a hotel room telephone to dial long distance. A grand slam is often referred to as a grand salami or simply, a salami.

Annie Oakley is base on balls or a WALK. Complimentary tickets to the theater or to sporting events have traditionally been punched with holes to designate that the tickets are free. During the late 1800s, these freebies were called "Annie Oakley's" in honor of the famous rifle woman whose feats included shooting holes in small cards. Baseball observers quickly adapted "Annie Oakley" to mean a base on balls, which was and still is also known as a "free ticket" or "free pass" to first base

Many of us associate this with motion of when a pitcher strikes out a batter with no men on base and proceeds to throw the ball to third baseman who in turns throws to second base and finally onto first base.

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Around The Horn actually refers to a double play in which the third baseman fields a ground ball and throws to the second baseman, who forces a runner at second base and then throws to the first baseman to retire the batter. Thus resulting in the 5-4-3 double play. The term derives from the custom of ships to take the long route around Cape Horn at the tip of South America to get from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, or vice versa, before the construction of the Panama Canal.

The phrase can of corn refers to qan easy fly ball, it was first used in 1896, makes reference to a long-ago practice where a grocer would use a stick to tip a can of vegetables off a high shelf, then catch it in his hands or outstretched apron. Another possible source: Such a pop fly is as easy to capture as "corn from a can."

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Frequently used by Chicago White Sox broadcaster Ken "The Hawk" Harrelson. Also, a phrase used in the expression of mild excitement, general agreement or indication from one person to another that completion of said task is in order. Mike Zolk, from Frankford High School in Philadelphia, coined the phrase in 1936 in a game against NorthEast High.

How many time in normal conversation have your heard the expression out of left field. Many time when talking with people and some one makes a statement non pertinent to the topic you might say where did that come from left field.  Many of us use this phrase but no one knows the true origin. I found two equally plausible theories. 

The first theory pertains to people wanting to watch Babe Ruth play at Yankee Stadium but not sure which position he played. They would end up buying tickets for the left field bleachers while the Babe was in right field. Fans in right field would yell over to left field fans how they were out of step with baseball.

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Another realistic explanation comes from an extinct baseball park called West Side Grounds that the Chicago Cubs called home from 1893 to 1915.  As legend has it, a mental hospital called the Neuropsychiatric Institute was located directly behind the left field wall.  The Institute housed mental patients who could be heard making strange and bizarre comments within listening distance of players and fans.  Thus, if someone said that you were “way out in left field,” the person was questioning your sanity and comparing you with a mental patient. Other versions of this same theory has the hospital being built over the left field area of West Side Grounds after it was torn down.

The longevity of some expression show us how baseball has really become an integral part of our world after many decades. The Baltimore Chop was a hitting technique used by batters during Major League Baseball's dead ball era. This technique was an important element of John McGraw's "Inside baseball". Popularized and named after the original Baltimore Orioles, the batter would intentionally hit the ball downward to the hard ground in front of home plate, resulting in a high bounce which allowed the batter to reach first base safely before the opposing team could field it. To give the ball the maximum bounce, Baltimore grounds keeper Tom Murphy not only packed the dirt tightly around home plate, but mixed it with hard clay. Speedy Orioles players like John McGraw, Joe Kelley, Steve Brodie, and Wee Willie Keeler — who once legged out a double off a Baltimore chop — were the practitioners and perfectors of the hit.

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The technique is rarely employed in modern baseball, but sometimes results accidentally when a batter swings over the ball and it catches the bat.

In the earliest days of baseball, there was no rubber at the pitcher's mound. Pitchers stood inside a six-foot square that looked much like today's batter's box. The front line of the box was only 45 feet from the plate.  (The batters were also allowed to call their pitches -- high, low or fair.) The pitcher had to start his motion from within the box as well as release the ball before leaving the box. By the way the pitch had to be thrown underhand

In 1881 the rules moved the front of the box to 50 feet from the rear point of home plate. In 1884 pitchers were allowed to throw overhand.

In 1887, the box was set at 4 feet wide and 5 1/2 feet deep, with the front edge still 50 feet from the plate. However, the pitcher was compelled to deliver the ball with his back foot at the 55 1/2 foot line of the box, thus somewhat restricting his ability to "power" the ball with his overhand delivery.

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In 1893, the box was replaced by the pitcher's plate, although the term "knocked out of the box" is still sometimes used when a pitcher is replaced for ineffectiveness. Exactly 5 feet was added to the point the pitcher had to toe, again "to increase the batting" (and hopefully to increase attendance, as fan interest had flagged somewhat), resulting in the seemingly peculiar pitching distance of 60 1/2 feet.

Many sources tend to say that the pitching distance evolved from 45 to 50 to 60 1/2 feet. However, the first two were the "release point" and the third is the "pushoff point", so the 1893 increase was not quite as dramatic as is often implied; that is, the 1893 rule change added only 5 feet to the release point, not 10 1/2 feet.

It became a common expression to say that the pitcher was knocked out of the box when the opposing team constantly hit his pitchers forcing the manager to remove the pitcher from the game.

Ever been to a little league practice and the coach starts using baseball jargon. If you are new to the sport, you have no idea what he is saying. Even better imagine yourself at technical internet conference and the speaker starts using terminology like IP, DNS, DHCP, Routers, servers, HTML, PHP and etc. You get the picture. If no one explains the jargon you have no idea what the speaker is saying.
Now imagine what a five or six year old is understanding when the coach is saying "your stepping into the bucket". My niece, who just started playing tee ball, said to me "Uncle Bob I wasn't stepping into the bucket the coach had the bucket next to him and my leg isn't long enough to reach the bucket".
A lot of little league coaches do not realize that many of their young ball players have limited or no knowledge of baseball jargon. Over the next few post, I will try to review many of the common and simple words and phrases used when talking baseball.

Stepping into the bucket, is when the batter takes his lead foot during the little leaguer's stepping motion lands with that foot behind their back or to the side of his shoulder away from home plate. instead of directly in front of his shoulder. This generally causes him to lose power during his swing as well as forcing the ball players eyes to stray from watching the baseball causing them to miss the ball.

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Remember the movie where the coach tell a young ball player to run home and the player runs off the field and disappears and the coach turns to another child to ask where the player went and the response was he went home. Young ball players need to be explained what baseball phrases mean.

Home plate is not the ball players dinner plate waiting for them at home after a game or practice. Home plate, formally designated home base in the rules, is the final base that a player must touch to score. Unlike the other bases, home plate is five-sided and is usually a slightly flexible hard plastic with beveled edges that rises only slightly above ground level. Most of us when talking baseball shorten the phrase to either home or plate.The plate is shaped the way it is in order to help the umpire judge balls and strikes. If you look at the base carefully you will see that it resembles a house.

One of the greatest fears, young ball players, have in hitting, is getting hit by the pitch. In little league, especially and the younger ages pitchers are generally wild and just learning how to control the ball. The art of avoiding the ball so that the player is in a position to receive the least amount of damage is very rarely taught or known by little league coaches.

Have your child take a normal batting stance. Take a rolled up sock and toss it as if you were pitching to the child. Pitch the sock closer and closer until you hit them. Observe how they avoid getting hit. Most time the front of the body will be exposed.

One of the ways I tell my child to avoid the ball is to turn and place the end of the bat directly on the ground behind them. This forces then to turn away and duck down to place the bat on the ground. Their face and chest are no longer facing the ball. Getting hit in the backside or thighs is a little bit easier to handle.

Do this drill about ten minutes once or twice a week. When pitching close make sure your child does not get out of the way all the time. If the sock lands within the strike zone remind them not to turn away until they are sure the ball is going to hit them. Their judgment will improve over time. Increasing the speed of throwing over time will help them with their judgment during games.

baseball trivia:

This is a simple drill parents can do with younger ball players from four year olds to nine or ten year olds. This drill will help your child judge fly balls and proper footwork as well as it reduce any fear they may have in positioning themselves in front of the ball.

You will need a soft object to throw at the child’s head. A nurf ball, a bean pouch or as I use a rolled up pair of sweat socks in the shape and size of a ball. The ball player should wear his baseball cap. No glove is necessary.

Position yourself about five to eight feet facing the ball player. The ball player should be standing looking at you in the ready position. The back should be straight and slightly leaning forward. The player’s feet should be spread apart slightly more than the width of their shoulder. The throwing side foot should be just behind the opposite foot. This will give the player a jump on the ball. They should be standing on the balls of their feet. The heels of their feet should be slightly off the ground. The toes of the feet should be pointing outward, at about 30 to 45 degrees. The players knees should be bent almost giving an appearance of squatting, the hands should be between their knees.

After the player is set toss the ball in the air. The object is for the player to have the ball hit the emblem on his baseball cap. Make sure the toss is high enough so that the player has to look up to follower the decent of the ball. The ball player will have to concentrate on the ball with his eyes and follow it all the way down to his cap. The players instinct is to try to catch the ball and that is fine, but the purpose of the drill is for the player to align themselves in front of the ball. If they try to catch the ball on either side of their shoulders, correct them.

After a few throws directly at the ball player begin tossing the ball so that he has to move laterally to get under the ball, no more than ten or so feet to either side.. Watch his footwork to make sure they are shuffling over so that the chest is always facing the incoming ball. Now toss the ball slightly behind the player so that he has to backpedal to get under the ball. Parents again watch the feet to make sure they are backpedaling on the balls and toes of the feet not the heels.

Parent concentrate on the footwork and judgment the player performs. Let the player get in the set position before tossing the next ball. Do not get carried away by tossing the ball ridicules high or away from the player. Inside the house your limited by ceiling height but outside you want to keep the ball within a ten to twenty foot ceiling. Before tossing the next ball make sure the player is set. Ten to fifteen minutes twice to three times a week should show an improvement in your child’s ability to judge and field a fly ball.

My twelve year old still does this drill to warm up before a game. He says that it fun to do.

Baseball Trivia:
The Browns played their entire St. Louis career in one ballpark, being Sportsman Park, later to be called Busch Stadium. Their AL title came in 1944 under the helm of Luke Sewell. The Browns shared the ballpark with the NL Cardinals. The team moved to Baltimore after the 1953 season to become the Orioles.

When playing defense expect EVERY ball to come to you. Before EVERY pitch, think about what'll you do with the ball if it's hit to you. Also, think about what you'll do if the ball is hit to the other 8 players. Every Little League coach should stress this point to all his ball players.

A few Little League seasons ago I observed a coach would have a parent sitting in the dugout asking the ball players different fundamental baseball questions. As the player got the question right they were given a chip and at the end of the game the ball player with the most chips got a game ball.

The coaching mentor would ask questions like. If the bases are empty and the ball is hit to the shortstop where does the second baseman go? A player would yell out the second base man covers second base, nobody stands still. The question was then followed up with something like. Where does the left fielder go? Another player yells out. He backs up the shortstop, then goes to the foul line and runs towards third base to back up the throw, no player stands still. This went on throughout the game. The mentor asked what does the shortstop do? A ball player yells out. He get in front of the ball and squares his shoulder to the ball with his glove back towards the ground and follow the ball into the glove. He then throws the ball to the first baseman, no player stands still. By the fifth game you could see an improvement in the fielding positions of the players and in how they approached each and every play. The team did not win every game but the games were very competitive.

The following little league season when I coached some of them, I noticed how astute those players were in baseball fundamentals. They were not superstars but they were baseball smart. At that point I incorporated the questions into my coaching fundamentals. Some times I have a parent ask the question, but many times I as the coach would ask the question. When the players got older the questions became more intricate.

Over the Little League seasons most of the players have become smarter about playing baseball and commit fewer mental mistakes. Remember what Yogi Berra said, "baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical.

Practicing is still the best way to teach our youth to play baseball. Playing League games is more exciting to the ball players and parents. A good coach must grab every opportunity to teach the ball players the fundamentals of playing baseball.


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Baseball Trivia:
The exact origin of baseball is the subject of some debate. It is widely accepted that baseball is a North American invention. There is mention of baseball in a 1791 Pittsfield, Massachusetts, statute that prohibited the playing of the baseball within 80 yards of the town's meetinghouse. There is also a description of the game published in 1838 by Dr. Adam Ford in Beachville, Ontario, Canada. The first list of rules for baseball came in 1845 from Alexander Cartwright of New York City. The game now generally recognized as the first in U.S. history to be officially recorded happened on June 19, 1846, in Hoboken, New Jersey. In that game, the "New York Nine" defeated the Knickerbockers, 23-1, in four innings.


This baseball Little League season my son is on team that has minimal talent. The talent they have will not produce an undefeated season. Every win will have to be earned by hard baseball playing and being smart in the field. Most of the parents were commenting how good of a coach we had. He was doing everything himself. During the game he was coaching third base. Between innings he was warming up the pitcher. When the opposing team was batting he was encouraging the pitcher. As a baseball parent and former coach, I realized he was doing things that impressed most people but he was a poor but dedicated little league coach.

Yogi Berra once said, "Baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical. The purpose of Little League and the manager is to teach the basic fundamentals of playing ball which are mental.. As I watched the game progress I saw very little teaching going on. The manager was doing his thing and the other two coaches were talking between themselves, keeping score, and keeping the batting order straight.

During my playing days in High School and College, I never saw my head coach ever wear a baseball glove or participate in any drill or base coaching. He was always observing and giving instructions and strategies to the ball players.

A good Little League manager should always be in the dugout or behind the bench. One of the best coaches I had would have constant baseball quizzes going on in the dugout. If no one was on base he would surmise a situation, otherwise he use the current situation, and asked a question on what each player function would be, such as the right fielder would backup the first baseman. When a player correctly answered a question he got a marker. At the end of the game the player with the most markers got a game ball. It always seemed that the players who sat on the bench when our team was in the field had an advantage. However, it turned out that each player always had one inning where the ball player sat on the bench. The baseball players were constantly into the game and they very rarely wandered from the game.

By the middle of the season there was a marked improvement on the fielding and ability of the fielders to make the right decision on the field and the team knowing where each player should be positioned. Runs scored because of bad baseball decisions were drastically reduced. Execution however still depended on the players practicing drills.



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Baseball Trivia:
Semiprofessional baseball was played in the 1860s, and the first professional team was formed in 1869 - the Cincinnati Red Stockings. The first major league was the National Association which played from 1871 to 1875. The National League, which is the origin of Major League Baseball and still exists to this day, was founded in 1876. The American League was founded in 1901, and the two leagues joined forces for the first World Series in 1903, which has happened every year since except 1904, and 1994.


Well the major hitting portion of the practice is now over, The time to get into the fundamental baseball fielding skills now begin,

The coach split the ball players into three groups. The first group consisted of six ball players fielding the infield positions including pitcher and catcher.  One of the coaches would hit alternate balls to each player who inturn would throw the baseball after fielding to the first baseman.

The other two groups consisted of three ball players each, one group went to left outfield. The coach or parent would stand on the foul line while the players were setup 10 feet apart facing the coach in left center field. The coach would hit popups, line drives, and ground balls to the three players. The second coach would take his group to the right field foul line and do the same drill.

The manager would stand around second base observing the fielding of all three groups. From this vantage point he can observe and instruct players on fielding and throwing. At the same time he can walk over to individual baseball players to give them hands on instructions.

After fifteen minutes the coach would rotate the players. 1st basemen, pitcher, and catcher would go to right field and the remaining ball players go to left field. The outfielders now come into the infield for their fifteen minute drill.

After one hour the coach has gone over the fundamentals of playing baseball. The coach could have ended the practice then but the ball players were still enthused to do more. The manager filled the remaining hour with three to four different drills. The coach seemed to have an arsenal of many different drills that he rotated in different practices. This would keep the ball players in the practice as they would ask for their favorite baseball drills.


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Basebal trivia:
Carroll Hardy pinch-hit for Ted Williams on September 20, 1960 after Williams fouled a ball off of his foot. He is the only player to ever have pinch-hit for Ted Williams. He also pinch-hit for rookie Carl Yastrzemski on May 31, 1961. Earlier in his career, Hardy also had the honor of pinch-hitting for Roger Maris on May 18, 1958. In that at bat he hit is first major league home run. Carroll Hardy played as a backup outfielder for most of his career and was only on the Boston Red Sox from late 1960 through 1962.


The other night I attended my child's Little League Baseball practice.  One of the other parents commented how committed the coach was to the team. I agreed with the parent and commend the manager and the other 2 coaches for volunteering, but after a few minutes of watching, I could see how poor a manager he is going to be. The manager has forgotten that his main function is to instruct the ball players in the game of baseball.

He had all his players on the ball field. The extra players stacked in the outfield. Then the manager began pitching to a ball players for batting practice. So you say what is wrong with this? This is the normal start of an unplanned baseball practice. Normally the ball players will get board half way through the practice and learn very little about the fundamentals of baseball. If you look around the other coaches and extra parents are just as board. This leads to parents giving instructions to their child when they are batting, which hinders the coach's coaching instructions.

A good coach should plan out the baseball practice. In this case he should have set up a minimum of two hitting stations (possibly a third if a parent volunteers). The other two coaches should pitch to the batter. The manager should be roaming the field giving fielding tips to the fielding players, on how to get in position and on fielding. He should also help batters with their batting stances as well as swing. The practice should move along without the players getting board. With three pitching stations you would have four players at each station one hitting, one getting his batting equipment ready to bat next, and two ball players fielding the hit balls. This leaves room for other parents to help by playing the backup to the the fielders. The manager should be constantly roaming and giving fundamental baseball instructions to the batter as well as the fielder. Within 30 minutes all players should have batted around at least once. The coaches  usually pitch fifteen balls per player so that they can bat twice. the second time around they are generally better as they absorb the instructions given the first time.

Yes the manager brought 3 buckets and 45 baseballs to each baseball practice,  you could get away with less balls by having the fielders throw the balls back to the pitcher.

The next post I will continue the practice.

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Baseball trivia:
The first World Series, in 1903, was a best-of-nine affair arranged by the winners of the NL and the AL and won by the AL's Boston Pilgrims in a 5-3 upset over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The feud between AL president Ban Johnson and the 1904 NL-champion Giants' manager John McGraw precluded a World Series that year, but the popularity of the 1903 Series led the National Commission to establish an official World Series starting in 1905, with the length of the contest set at seven games.


Parent support during both games and practices is critically important to the success of the baseball league. Be supportive of the team by ensuring your child attends each practice on-time. Be a positive role model during games, whether you are a manager, an assistant coach, or simply a spectator.

Attending your scheduled Little League Baseball practice, is probably the most important part of the baseball season. This is where you child is going to learn the most fundamental skills required to play a team sport like baseball.

Skipping practice not only deprives your child of learning time, it hurts his team and team mates. Without enough ball players present at practice, the team loses the ability to run drills that will show them how to work as a baseball team.

Show your child he has to be responsible. They must attend practice. By signing up for Little League, they made a commitment to their team, that they must keep. Try to arrive for practice on time, as any good coach has planned a routine that will only be delayed if most players are late.

Their are times when a player can not attend baseball practice. Please advise the baseball coach, so that the coach can adjust his practice plan for the day. Good reasons to not attend practice are school functions or medical.

Parents should observe practices to learn proper techniques to practice with your child.

Days no practice is scheduled the parent should encourage their child to take 30 minutes and practice some of skills taught at last practice. Play catch with your child as this is how they will learn the basic skills of catching, fielding, and throwing.

Some parent rules

    * Always be positive and enthusiastic.
    * Show your child positive reinforcement.
    * Observe practices and games to learn proper techniques to practice with your child.
    * Encourage your child toward skill improvement and good sportsmanship in every game.
    * Teach your child to always play by the rules.
    * Teach your child that hard work and an honest effort are often more important than a victory.
    * Applaud good plays by your team and by members of the opposing team.
    * Let the managers and coaches do the coaching.

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Basic Baseball Trivia:
The Browns played their entire St. Louis career in one ballpark, being Sportsman Park, later to be called Busch Stadium. Their AL title came in 1944 under the helm of Luke Sewell. The Browns shared the ballpark with the NL Cardinals. The team moved to Baltimore after the 1953 season to become the Orioles.

Little League Baseball Should Be Fun for the Ballplayer and parent.

A simple batting practice that can be done solo by the ball player is called the wall swing.

Equipment needed are:
 A baseball bat, prefer type of bat used during baseball games.
An object to be used as a spotter. I use a 10-12 foot thin piece of rope tied up, as I will use later as a standing line.
Enthusiastic young ball player.

1. The child should stand against a wall or fence, with his upper right (left if lefty) arm against the wall. Then side  step away from the wall so that their finger tip just touches the wall.

2. Now the Ball player should swing the bat normally by stepping forward as they swing. If they are swinging properly the bat should not hit the wall or fence. I usually put a rope spotter on the ground about 6 to 7 inches in front of their front foot, so that they have a target to step to.

3. After taking a substantial number of swings with both hands I have them swing with one hand. They should put their free hand across their chest under the opposite armpit. This helps them build strength in both arms to hold the bat steady. I generally have them take the same number swings with each arm as they took with holding the bat with both hands.

As a parent you should make sure they swing level as well as being consistent that the ball player steps towards the marker.

Practicing this baseball swing should increase your child's arm strength and follow through when they are up at bat.

Hopefully, they would produce a couple extra line drive baseball hits.  My child practices this baseball drill every other day for 10-15 minutes. Rainy days he practices in the basement.

Have fun.

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Well the Little League Baseball season is in full swing. We have all heard about the rules for the children and parents. I would like to have does rules for the parents. Enhanced. The baseball leagues would have us believe by keeping our mouths quiet we would better serve the league as well as the coaches.

I ask all parents to observe the coaches. If they constantly talk about winning or yell at players when they do something different then expected. Parents should speak to coach civilly, about changing his attitude. The coach should be teaching the players to play basic baseball.

Parents and coaches should remember that the normal Little League Baseball season in our local community is for teaching our children to play baseball. The Official Little League of Williamsport does not permit organizations to assemble a tournament team until mid June, which normally coincides with the end of local league play.

Parents should help in teaching their children to play baseball. One the simplest drills, for the youngest players, is to throw grounders to them so they can practice the alligator move. In  baseball, that is to squat in front of the incoming ball with their baseball mitt facing up so that the ball will roll into the baseball glove and then they can put their free hand over the ball in one consistent move. As the player gets older they forget this basic move and shy away from the ball. With Older players you can hit them ground balls so that they can learn not to be afraid of the ball. I found that practicing about 30 minutes per day to be more then sufficient to improve the baseball player but also to create a bond between you the parent and the child.

Some Basic Baseball Trivia:
On many game days, Boog Powell offered delicious barbeque with cole slaw and baked beans. His food was rated some of the best in all Major League ballparks.

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