Are Today's Hitters Better Than Yesteryear's?

This is a question I often ask myself.  As a student of the game, I have no doubt, today's hitters are better athletes, have better instruction, better technology, and better swing fundamentals.  But are they better hitters?  

Hitting is more than just the swing.  It's having a plan at the plate.  It's understanding when to pull the trigger on what pitch and when to shut it down.  It's relaxing while the whole world is watching.  It's competing and winning a battle of one vs. nine.

Young hitters today understand terms like "hand load", "toe down", "short to long" and "inside half".  But does that make them better?  I argue old timers knew better how to relax at the plate, how to guess on the pitch, and how to be the hitter (style-wise) God intended for them to be.  (lead off, line drive/gap, or power...Everone falls in one of these three categories.) 

With technological innovations like Don Slaught's RightView Pro, a young hitter can now study their swing vs. A-Rod or Jeet's.  With videotape analysis, a young hitter can see if he or she "chicken winged" between at-bats.  Nike even developed contact lens a few years back that helped hitters pick up the ball better at the plate!  But even with all these advances, one piece of advice is always heard out of the dugout. 

"Hey kid, relax up there, pick out a good one, and be quick..."

Advice which is no doubt just as useful in today's world, as it was in 1845 for the New York Knickerbockers.
    

Tigers and Twins Mano-a-Mano Tonight!

The Playoffs start tonight!!! (Not really, but close to it.) The Tigers and the Twins match up tonight at Comerica with a trip to October on the line. Four games head to head, with only seven total left to play.

It’s Rick Porcello against Nick Blackburn in the opener. Blackburn is 1-1 against the Tigers this year and Porcello is 1-2 against the Twins.

And here's the math.  Game one tonight...Tigers up by 2 games...If the Twins win, you have a one game lead (in other words, serious sweating can commence in Motown)...If the Tigers win, three game lead with six to go (in other words, make your hotel reservations for a first round showdown at Yankee Stadium Oct. 7th.)

I had an old coach in the minors who used to say "There's nothing better than baseball when the leaves are changing."  And going into tonight, the air will be crisp, the jackets will come out, and the baseball will definitely be intense!!! 

Remembering Mike Coolbaugh.

I never had the good fortune of meeting Mike Coolbaugh, but from what I hear, I would have liked him alot.  You have to admire guys who grind in the minors and one day get to reach up for that cup of coffee.  To finally be able to say they made it and eat from the crumbs at the edge of the table we as ballplayers all yearned to eat at.  And even more so, even though I am sure it is no consolation to his family, to die doing something he loved.

Mike Coolbaugh was coaching first base one mid-summer's night in the Texas League when a line drive off the bat of Tino Sanchez hit him in the neck, killing someone who was known ironically in the baseball world as a "lifer".  This is his story...His wife and three young son's left behind story...And Tino Sanchez's story. 

Heart of the Game: Life, Death, and Mercy in Minor League America, by S. L. Price is a baseball book we all should read.  Please check out the terrific review by James Bailey, former associate editor at Baseball America, at http://www.hardballcooperative.com/?p=1546.  And help honor a man who gave his life to the game by never letting us forget who he was.

10 Things that didn't exist before Bobby's reign!

Here's a list of 10 things that did not even exist when Bobby Cox took over as Braves manager back in June of 1990! Check it out!!!

10. Disposable Contact Lens.
9. DVD's.
8. GPS.
7. Wii/Playstation/XBox.
6. Hybrid Cars.
5. Facebook/Twitter/Blogging/Social Networking.
4. Viagra. (LOL)
3. Google/Ebay.
2. The Florida Marlins/Tampa Bay Rays/Colorado Rockies/Arizona Diamondbacks.
1. Cell Phones!!!

See if you can think of some more!!!

Thanks for the Memories, Bobby!

When I was a young boy, I can remember listening through static on a transitor radio to the Braves running off a 13 game winning streak to lead off the '82 season. I also remember learning as I grew older that the same group of ballplayers that I idolized that summer (who went on to win the 1982 N. L. West title) were put together and developed by a gentlemen by the name of Bobby Cox.

As you all know, he later returned to the Braves dugout (in 1990, shedding his G.M. tie for his own Skipper's spikes), and made winning a way of life for the Bravos. World Series appearances in '91, '92, '95, '96, and '99. Four time Manager of the Year (three times in the National League, once in the American). A remarkable 14 Consecutive Divisional Titles, and of course, one World Championship Ring ('95).

Of course, Bobby also has one infamous record. He has been ejected more times (159) than any other manager in the history of the game. But is that anything to be ashamed of? That he backs his players. That he has a passion for the game and that he demands the ump make the right call. Certainly not. It is that same fire and brimstone which has made him the fourth winningest manager of all-time, and the winningest manager in the Braves long history.

Ultimately, we, as fans, have been the fortunate ones to be able to be a part of his long run. His professionalism is and will remain unsurpassed and his ability to get his players to respect the game and play it the right way will be missed.

Thank you so much for the memories, #6. I have no doubt, your jersey will be the next to never be worn again with a Tomahawk emblazened across the chest.

Astros fire Cecil Cooper with 13 games to go in '09.

If you've had an opportunity to watch the Astros this season, you would know they haven't really been a factor in the N.L. Central Division all year. And on Monday, General Manager Ed Wade added to this season's misery by firing Manager Cecil Cooper. Now, one has to ask, is this season's underachievement ultimately Coop's fault or G.M. Ed Wade's fault?

There is no doubt the Astros needed to make a change. Coop was no managerial genius and could not be described as a "people person". And how can we forget the night he posted the wrong lineup in the dugout back in May, causing Michael Bourn to be called back to the plate after leading off the game with a hit!
However, there's an old saying, "you can't win the Kentucky Derby with a Donkey", and Houston has one of the oldest rosters in the Big Leagues and has had to deal with injuries all season (something that does hand in hand with having an older team). In other words, you've got to have the players to win.

The Astros are in a rebuilding phase. Everyone can see that. And someone with the credibility and history of Cecil Cooper deserves more respect. The Astros only have 13 games left to play and then it's curtains on this miserable season. And while agreeing with the Houston Astros decision to make a change, I wish the calendar had read October, rather than September.