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April's Sports View
SPORTS VIEW By Leigh Douglas As the ‘madness’ winds down, I find myself having to eat crow. Illinois is for real (I still stand by Carolina winning it all) but the fighting Illini are a much better team than I had given them credit. As the NFL...
Could Baseball Ever Return to the City of Saints?
It became official on September 29, 2004 - Major League Baseball's run in Montreal was coming to an end after 36 seasons. On that day, the announcement was made that the Montreal Expos were moving to Washington, D.C., beginning with the 2005 season....
The Many Functions of Baseball Caps
Baseball caps serve many functions. They aren’t just seen on the field but on the streets, in the stands and almost anyone you look. Baseball caps have an interesting history, the first ones were worn by the New York Knickerbockers and they were...
TOP TEN Myths Surrounding the Montreal Expos
10 - That the Expos lost its fan base after all the English left in the early 80’s.
The Olympic Stadium continued to average over 18 thousand visitors per game until 1997. While they were not leaders in attendance by any stretch, it was still a...
What A Great Night
What A Great Night The Time Machine brings me back to Chancellor Avenue, Newark, New Jersey, circa 1964. Vintage cars like the ’62 Oldsmobile Spitfire, 1957 and 1958 Chevy’s roamed up and down the street passing The Bunny Hop, The Burgerama and...
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Slugger Or Pitcher
Why I'd Rather Be A Slugger
During the last NLCS, I asked Brandon Backe of the Astros what the hardest thing was for him in making the conversion from outfielder to pitcher in the minors. He said it was "not playing every day." That is why I would rather be a slugger, to answer your question. I'd want my mind and body to be in every inning of every game. I wouldn't want to be one elbow injury away from a possible end of my career or a lost year. I listened to Nolan Ryan talk at the last All-Star FanFest in Houston about how he would have to "rebuild" his body from one start to the next, an incredibly arduous process that the great pitchers know and few fans realize. Ryan would be on the bike immediately after each start, and he said his physical strength would go down to about 50 percent a day or two after each start, and then his mission was to get it back up to 100 percent by the next start. As the slugger you mentioned, I'd love to be in that zone of hitting in the cages every day and be able to "slow down" every pitch like Manny Ramirez and Albert Pujols do so incredibly well.
There is no greater feeling on earth than hitting a ball over a fence and running around the bases at your own speed. And I would be just like Scott Rolen, who has the fastest home run trot in the game -- no-nonsense, get back to the dugout and prepare for that next at-bat. I would be even-keel like a Cal Ripken and a Tony Gwynn and take satisfaction from reaching my potential every day and
living in that zone and being completely in every inning.
The above article was written and given to this publication with permissions
by Mark Newman – You can find Mark at mlb.com
For me hitting a ball on the sweet part of the bat is the best. As far as doing anything in sports, I cannot think of anything that pleased me more. This includes shooting a basketball, scoring a touchdown, or sinking a long put in golf. When I played, it was my fantasy to hit one squarely. This is what I dreamt about. Hit one to right center. Hit one to left center. Hit one down the line.
Always hit it hard.
This part of the article was contributed by me, Aron Wallad
About the Author: Aron Wallad has been a baseball lover for over 45 years. His passions have included; playing, watching, reading, evaluating, and coaching the game he adores. Check out his baseball ezine. Do you love inspiring quotes, unusual statistics and most of all, heartwarming baseball stories? If you love baseball you will love his baseball ezine.
Go here right now http://www.baseballsprideandjoy.com/index.php?tag=isnare
Contact Aron at aron@baseballsprideandjoy.com
Source: www.isnare.com
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