Will Matt Harvey be the next Tom Seaver? Or Jeremy Shockey? How about Matt Harvey 1.0?

'67 Mets - Seaver, Koosman, Gentry and some guy named Ryan. First name was Nolan I think.

The Mets have been blessed with great pitching staffs at various times in the franchise history. Now, it seems like they are looking to usher in the next wave. Comparing Matt Harvey to Tom Seaver is quite heady stuff, but remember this is from the same pool of  group-thinkers that was ready, willing and able to order up a Hall of Fame bust for one Jeremy Shockey. And we see how that turned out.

So maybe he is Tom Seaver 2.0. Based on this side by side comparison, sure. Maybe better.

from Bleacher Report:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1618383-comparing-matt-harveys-first-15-mlb-starts-to-tom-seavers

Harvey's off to a great start, no doubt. Based on about a half-season of starts in his career ( small sample ) you can get to a 14-10 record 198 IP, 232 K's all good solid numbers. Even better for a 23-year old who is 6-4, 235 lbs. From there we can project further. He is, after all, only 23 years old. He can only get better, right? Well, no not really, but it's easier and more fun to project from that premise.

Pitching
Year	Team	G	GS	W	L	SV	BS	HLD	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	BAA
2012	NYM	10	10	3	5	0	0	0	0	0	59.1	42	19	18	5	26	70	2.73	1.15	.200
2013	NYM	6	6	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	40.1	21	7	7	2	12	46	1.56	0.82	.153
Career		16	16	7	5	0	0	0	0	0	99.2	63	26	25	7	38	116	2.26	1.01	.182

"He can only get better". Maybe after potential, the most damning words that can be laid on a prospect. And "projection" is a word that in hindsight gets scouts and analysts in as much trouble as the word  "potential" gets a player into.

Because the players' "perceived potential" flows naturally from the "expectations" put onto them that flow from the scouts / analysts "faulty projections". And who gets burned publicly? Not the scout or the analysts. The player who didn't live up to the "flawed analysis", that's who.

Because let's face it, in the entire range of possibilities three things can happen. He can progress or get better and that's where the mind's first reflex goes to wander. But he can also get worse (GASP!!) or remain virtually the same (DULL, no projection!?!). We never consider the other two possibilities as much. There's no fun in that.

from Yahoo Sports:
 http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/ten-surprises-first-month-2013-baseball-season-203335280.html

4. Matt Harvey owns April: Savvy baseball pundits knew a Matt Harvey breakthrough year was a possibility, but that doesn't discount the fact that he's been the breakout star of the first month of the season. On an otherwise boring New York Mets pitching staff, the 24-year-old Harvey has been pitching more like Stephen Strasburg than Stephen Strasburg has. Harvey is 4-0 and is in the top five for strikeouts, ERA and WHIP.

I know everybody wants to be recognized as the first to "call" this guy the next whoever or whatever. It drives traffic and gets your name in the paper and junk as the "next" prospect guru, but... let's just see if the kid can be the first Matt Harvey, shall we? 

Comparisons to Seaver right out of the chute are a bit unfair to the kid. Give him time to be himself NY.

IMO, Seaver and that Ryan kid on the far right of that photo shown above were the two closest things to the "perfect pitcher" model that Tom House tried to pigeon-hole Mark Prior into. And we see how that went....good for Tom House, not so good for Mark Prior.

Talk about flawed analysis and unreasonable expectations.

The One and Only Dr. Mike Marshall

MIKE MARSHALL - ONE OF THE TOP RELIEVERS OF HIS ERA:


DR. MIKE MARSHALL TODAY:



There was a great feature article this week on the man who I consider the best pitching coach in the country bar none, Dr. Mike Marshall, by Jeff Passan at Yahoo Sports.

Dr. Marshall believes that Sir Isaac Newton may in fact be the greatest pitching coach who ever lived, but you have to dig through his FREE on-line book to find out why.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Apk10uwj8nzz0lVh14FxK3w5nYcB?slug=jp-marshall051007&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

I've been to the Marshall Training Facility in Zephyrhills on a couple of occasions and Dr. Mike has always been open and accessible to coaches and players. Those that see the training methods first-hand and the impact it has on pitchers cannot help but come away impressed, and at times, awed. His guys always have lights out stuff, a great variety and quality of breaking pitches.

I recall on one occasion I visited and witnessed Jeff Sparks throwing the 15 lb. iron ball into the rebound wall as if it was a baseball or a softball. There was no hump-back trajectory, He was throwing from some distance away from the wall (most of the trainees work out close to the wall) and there was plenty of heat on the the throw. I believe they were shooting a feature for one of MLB's highlight shows. I never saw the show run live, but it was an awesome display of power pitching.



His methods are not accepted by the mainstream pitching gurus or major league baseball and that may be a good thing. MLB's track record of arm injuries amongst pitchers in their care and custody is historically bad and seemingly getting worse. It may only trail the collective record of the so-called pitching gurus who combined have not injured anybody "according to their records", but have presided over a nationwide epidemic of youth arm injuries.

I recall when I visited the complex for the first time, a young Mark Prior was blazing through the major leagues, with the mere mention of his name eliciting gushing comments regarding his perfect mechanics and impending injury-free, Hall of Fame career. Guaranteed. You couldn't get coaches to drool more if you had Pamela Anderson show up in a thong.

Tom House's computer told him Prior was perfect, and House came down from his mountain top to tell all of us coaches, so goodness gracious, it had to be true. At that time, Dr. Mike was answering questions regarding Prior with the caution that Prior's "perfect" delivery was flawed. He was heading full-length towards injury just as certain as his mound mate with the Cubs, Kerry Wood. Now at the time, this was on the order of saying the Emperor had no clothes, or that the Earth was round. It went against almost universally accepted wisdom. Wisdom gathered by first one person saying it, then another, and another until soon only a fool would dare get up and contradict the collective logic.

But Dr. Marshall calls it like he sees it, and he does not suffer fools gladly.
That may be why he does not endear himself to major league front office minds. Many of them don't want to have to think too hard. But when Prior, shortly thereafter began to have arm problems that he seemingly still has not recovered from, it should be noted that only Dr. Marshall predicted that this would happen using foresight and not the traditional baseball wisdom of 20-20 hindsight.

Marshall's credentials are impeccable and the faith he has in both his methods and his mission are impregnable. His style and bedside manner is as ferocious as a pit-bull. In my opinion, this is due to his obvious passion for the subject matter and the the consequences of failure to deliver the results that young pitchers are expecting. To be able to pitch effectively, consistently and injury-free.

When Marshall was a player he was a bit of an enigma, however he pitched virtually everyday, racking up innings pitched totals that would be the envy of most starting pitchers of today. When reporters or other players tried to find out what it was he was doing to get results that were so far from the mainstream, he told them he studied kinesiology. Players certainly had no idea what that meant, neither did reporters. Both groups it seems were equal parts intellectually lazy and skeptical of what Marshall was communicating to them, so they stopped communicating it seems.

One of the things I did get from my visits to Zephyrhills, was that Dr. Mike does not water down his terminology or his methodology. Those who can't keep up are swept aside. By the same token, those who stay in the ring and fight to learn end up richly rewarded in the end. The results speak for themselves.

I was just winding down my less than illustrious playing career when Marshall was dominating with the Dodgers. And I admired him, in spite of the fact that he played for the Dodgers, because he was an average sized individual, doing extraordinary things at the the highest level of his craft, a craft that was generally dominated by above average sized individuals.

If you visit his website www.drmikemarshall.com you will find his FREE Book, and also a fantastic CD that illustrates and explains the training and techniques. I can't recommend any books or CD's higher then these for training pitchers.

There currently is a small army of coaches who are using these techniques, Marshall currently offers a certification program for those interested. I know I'll be down there as soon as my schedule fits the Doc's.

For selfish reasons, I would prefer that not that many fellow coaches knew of or employed Marshall's methods, but for the greater good of preventing pitching arm injuries, how can any serious pitching coach ignore these methods when the traditional methods currently being taught have been proven to be a failure over and over and over again.

Q: What's the definition of INSANITY?

A: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

I think this maxim applies here. ENJOY THE JOURNEY.


HERE ARE SOME ILLUSTRATIONS OF SOME OF THE METHODS HIS TRAINEES USE:

STUDENT USING MARSHALL REBOUND WALL:


STUDENTS USING MARSHALL WRIST WEIGHTS:



EXCERPTS FROM THE ARTICLE:
Marshall won a Cy Young award with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1974, earned his Ph.D. in exercise physiology four years later and in the 30 years since has developed a motion that he believes could completely eradicate pitching-arm injuries, if only the right people would listen.

Marshall is 64 years old, impish and hyperkinetic. At 5-foot-8½, he looks more Ph.D. than ex-ballplayer. He still holds major-league records for games pitched in one season (106), relief innings pitched (208 1/3) and consecutive games for a pitcher (13), all set with the Los Angeles Dodgers in his 1974 Cy Young season. Everyone around baseball figured Marshall some kind of genetic freak, or maybe a masochist.

Marshall has a Ph.D. in exercise physiology from Michigan State. He was just ahead of his time. Almost 40 years ago, when he started the studies toward his doctorate at Michigan State, Marshall had questions about how to throw a baseball without injuring himself. Millions of pitches, thousands of feet of high-speed film and hundreds of adjustments later, he believes knows the answers better than anyone in the world.

"I'm a researcher," Marshall said. "People forget that about me. That's where my heart is. I pitched baseball, really, as the lab experiment of my research to see if it worked. Turned out it did. I don't need any more validation that I know something about baseball.

"I know what works. That's the greatest truth there is. I have a responsibility to give it back. Nobody wants it? Hey. That's not my problem."


Some days it sounds like a pig farm with all the noise. Marshall has expanded the exercise far beyond the 6-, 10- and 15-pound iron balls. The students, usually half a dozen ranging from 18 to 25 years old, are mostly marginal pitchers who want to pitch in college or maybe independent ball. With a wrist weight ranging from 15 to 30 pounds tethered to their pitching arm, they swing their pitching arm straight down like a pendulum, lift it over their ear and follow through with a hard pronation, turning the wrist outward with the thumb pointing down.

Marshall is convinced these actions can help save baseball from one of its great scourges. The rest of the motion is simple. No leg kick. No rotating the hips back toward second base. Facing the hitter, the pitcher steps with his glove-side foot and rotates his other leg with such fury his back almost ends up parallel to home plate.

And yet the motion comes straight from the laboratory. Following Marshall's rookie season in 1967, when his poor delivery caused shoulder pain, he used high-speed film to analyze himself and noticed that if a pitcher pronates his forearm, it protects his elbow and shoulder. Marshall continued to refine the motion, adding the pendulum swings, where musculature prevents elbow-ligament damage, and the step forward, to prevent the arm from flying out and locking up. Marshall's theory: Apply all force toward home plate instead of wasting it laterally with complicated wind-ups.

Whatever Marshall's students thought they knew he makes them forget. They learn a new vocabulary to complement the new motion. Maxline is a pitch that comes in on the arm side of the plate, a torque pitch to the other. They know a lat is really a latissimus dorsi, plus the proper names for the other 35 muscles used in the pitching motion.

In one week with Marshall, a pitcher throws more than he would in a month with an affiliated team. It's every day for 90 minutes, with the wrist weights, the iron ball and weighted lids from 4-gallon drums or footballs to help learn the release of a pronation curveball. Sometimes the lids go flying like Frisbees, so every inch of the 16-by-12-foot nets is necessary. Then it's at least 50 pitches with real baseballs, usually more.

More than 100 students have gone through Marshall's 280-day program, and he claims not one has left injured. Williams was cut by the Mets in 2006 after they told him a magnetic resonance imaging revealed a torn labrum in the shoulder. A week after starting Marshall's program, Williams' pain disappeared.

"Have you ever had surgery on your labrum?" Marshall said.

"No," Williams said.

"And do you ever have pain throwing as hard as you can today?" Marshall said.

"No," Williams said.

"This is Jeff Sparks," Marshall said. "He is the most highly skilled pitcher in the world. And nobody will hire him."

Jeff Sparks, 35, temples graying, scowling like Billy Bob Thornton, is Mike Marshall's greatest student and greatest success. Right now, he sells home-and-garden products at Lowe's. He also goes to firefighter school. In December, he'll take EMT certification training.



Here is the part where everyone calls Mike Marshall a lunatic, where they laugh at his motion, attack his science, scoff at his claims and roll their eyes.

Because for all of the triumphs Marshall sees, the baseball world sees him for what he hasn't done, and that is consistently produce major-league-caliber players. And so develops the Catch-22: Teams think Marshall is too much of a kook to send him top-of-the-line talent and elite players avoid him because they don't want any sort of associated stigma.

"Mike Marshall thinks I'm nuts, God bless him," said Tom House, the former big-league reliever, longtime pitching coach for Prior and, yes, a frequent target of Marshall's jabs. "I really admire his passion about what he does. But he's not the only one who does it."

Any suggestion that Marshall adapt his program – mix his motion with the traditional motion to make the transition easier, or cut out the terminology to focus on the end rather than the means, or perhaps collaborate with others in the growing field of biomechanics – is met with a stern no.

As averse as Marshall is to his peers' theories, he at least respects the science behind them. For baseball executives, who he believes take pride in their ignorance, Marshall saves a special kind of repugnance.

"I got tired of appeasing the stupid," Marshall said. "How long does a blonde have to act like a moron before she gets a date? These people (in organized baseball) are idiots. They don't know a damn thing. The thing is, they're powerful. They get the kids and can destroy them. And they do."

Problem is, the teachings – the same pitching motion for the last century – have led to arm breakdowns that stifled, shortened or ended careers. So in the mid-'90s, Marshall sent a letter to all 30 teams offering his services. No one bit. He called GMs he knew from his playing days and never heard back.


It won't happen. Marshall resigns himself to this. He tries to slough off any bitterness. He can't fathom why businessmen would shoo away something that would save them tens of millions of dollars.

At this point, he only hopes his ideas flourish. When Roger Clemens throws his fastball with a hard pronation of the wrist, Marshall beams. And, even better, during Clemens' first minor-league rehabilitation session, Marshall thought he saw a pendulum swing, a rarity among major leagues.

"People are going to take bits and pieces," Marshall said, "and if that's the way this spreads, fine. They're eventually going to figure out how I teach that curveball, and it's going to dominate baseball. Then they're going to pendulum swing, and that's going to get rid of Tommy John surgery. And then if they get the arm up before the front foot lands, that will take care of the front-of-the-shoulder problems. And then … "

Marshall kept talking. About different muscles, and where they attach, and what they do, and all of the things that make his theories, brilliant as they may be, so inaccessible. Only he stopped himself, like he knew he was getting off the point. As much as he is Dr. Mike Marshall, biomechanist, kinesiologist and anatomist, he's also just Doc, single-minded as ever.

"And then, finally," Marshall said, "we'll develop the best pitchers anyone's ever seen."

Jeff Passan is a national baseball writer for Yahoo! Sports. Send Jeff a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

Hypocrisy, Hypocrisy, Hypocrisy...and Bonds at 740.

This is a perfect example of the hypocrisy we'll continue to see as Barry Bonds makes his march towards the home-run crown. Jeff Perlman, the author of Love Me, Hate Me, The Making of an Antihero has his own special man-crush on Josh Hamilton. Well, isn't that special? He clearly hates Barry Bonds and the example he provides, but gushes eloquently over Josh Hamilton. That's just so special.

from espn.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=pearlman/070420&sportCat=mlb

Of course, this nation is so full of forgiveness, but apparently on a selective basis only. It may be full of something, but it's clearly not forgiveness.

from espn.com:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=pearlman/07411&sportCat=mlb

Another comes courtesy of Sports Illustrated's Peter King, who is not going to mention Barry Bonds any more because he believes he cheated. Here's his take on Shawn Merriman after he tested positive for steroids:

MERRIMANMANIA. From Bruce White of Indianapolis: "Should Shawne Merriman be eliminated from the Pro Bowl due to his positive steroids test?''

No. If he's eligible for 12 games and plays at a very high level in those games, he should be able to play in the Pro Bowl. Now, if he were to miss three games down the stretch for any reason, let's say, I'd say he didn't deserve a bid because he missed too much time. But he paid his penalty according to the collectively bargained rules of the game.

All right, let me get this straight Mr. King:

You're going to protest Barry Bonds achievement with your silence, (sounds more like a reward than a penalty, hey whatever) but have no problem with Shawn Merriman being rewarded for his achievement by participating in the Pro-Bowl even though Merriman flunked a steroids test and to-date Bonds hasn't flunked one?

Sounds like your disdain for cheating is a bit selective, don't you think? Merriman served his time according to the CBA? Weak argument. Apply same logic to Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, than we can talk like intelligent, rational people.

Do you do any special contortionist exercises to reconcile your logic in these two instances?

I think I've about had it with the blatant stupidity of braying jack-asses like this.

Somebody on this planet needs to complete the Honesty and Integrity Trifecta (we'll call it the HIT for short) for me before I give them an ear on this issue.

That is, whenever I hear or read somebody blast Bonds, (and of course they know everything he's done or didn't do, because he's always been so open and accommodating with his time with the media) I ask, "what do you think about Clemens, might he be cheating to get the results he's getting at an advanced age?"
 "Oh no, no way".

How about Lance Armstrong, couldn't he have done something to help him defeat not only Cancer but his competitors, all of whom seem to be on something? Nobody except the French seems to think he does anything but win Tour de Frances.

There seems to be just as much of a mountain of real or circumstantial evidence to implicate Clemens or Armstrong from what I've seen, heard or read. But we gleefully leak information on the one hand and blissfully redact in the other? Not to mention some other guys we let slide because they're still popular, like Pujols, Prior and many others.

And I'm a little tired of hearing, "Well these guys aren't approaching "hallowed" records" as if cheating is somehow OK, up until a point. Try that the next time you rob a bank and don't steal all the money in the vault. You want to start erasing records from the record book, you better get yourself an awful big eraser, or gallons and gallons of white out.

Guys like Perry, Sutton and Whitey Ford are in the Hall of Fame and lionized in spite of careers built on bending rules. Time to put it away folks. Never mind whatever was accomplished as a result of the use of "greenies", which were made illegal in 1970.

There is a huge problem in this country among youth with use of crystal meth. Meth being shorthand for methamphetamine or "speed". Hey, Dad baseball players use it, why can't I?

There is a also a huge problem in this country with alcohol use among youth, but I don't see any major sport turning away sponsorship dollars on principle. I know it's legal and that makes a huge difference, but spit tobacco is legal also and they took a stand there. Tobacco by contrast does not generate sponsorship dollars. Seems like we're picking our spots to take a stand based on dollars to be lost or gained (wait, where have I heard that before?).

Palmeiro I can see venom being directed at. He knew the deal and still tried to get away with something. Anyone else caught under the drug testing program deserves whatever animosity they get.

McGwire, Sosa, Bonds all of them have the Lance Armstrong defense in my opinion, they've never failed a test. You want to blame them for baseball not having adequate testing, that's pretty ignorant and unfair. I don't see anyone at work unilaterally offering up urine or blood tests unless they have to and even then, under protest. You want to retroactively punish people for behavior, start by taking racists like Cobb, Anson, et al out of the Hall of Fame, then you'll have my attention. Or take out some of the cheaters you've glorified in the past. Then I'll be impressed by your position on the issue.

And by the way, Peter King and his ilk on the Football Hall of Fame have no problem whatsoever looking the other way on all sorts of reprehensible behavior when voting on membership in the Football Hall of Fame. Drug Use, Murder, Manslaughter, anything goes as long as you perform on the field. And your little piss-ant silent protest against Barry Bonds is supposed to mean something? Give it a rest you MF-ing hypocrite.

The biggest Performance Enhancer Bonds has used in his favor IMO has always been Questec. Since being put in service in 2001, the year he hit 73 homers, his strikeout to HR ratio has turned from about 1:2 before to about 1:1.25 afterwards. Only Pujols seems to be as close in terms of HR to K ratio. That's a pretty significant change in one year.

Pitchers cannot pitch to him and get him out within the constraints of the strike zone as defined in the rule book, period. And it's possible they were never able to. However, prior to 2001, Major League pitchers had an extra 5-10 inches off the outside corner to work with. Anyone care to debate that fact? I didn't think so.

It's the same problem with Alex Rodriguez. He's so locked in and so good as a hitter and a slugger that he simply can't be pitched to. And even A-Rod strikes out about 4 time for every HR.

There is still a significant portion of the guys who study the game from statistical viewpoint who do not see the numbers of Bonds, McGwire and Sosa as being abnormal.

Here's another interesting outlook from Daniel Engber's article in Slate titled "The Growth Hormone Myth: What athletes, fans, and the sports media don't understand about HGH". The gist of the article is there is really not much data out there that indicates, from an exercise physiology standpoint, that using any of this stuff works to enhance performance on the baseball field. You have to make leaps of faith or assumptions that are not backed up by any scientific data.

The following paragraphs were I thought most interesting:

The most likely reason that athletes use HGH, though, is superstition. A ballplayer might shoot up with HGH for the same reason we take vitamin C when we have a cold: There's no good reason to think it does anything, but we're willing to give it a try. The fact that the major sports leagues have banned growth hormone only encourages the idea that the drug has tangible benefits. Why would they ban something unless it worked?

This mentality has put doping officials and athletes into a feedback loop of addled hysteria. The World Anti-Doping Agency will ban any drug that athletes use, whether or not it has an effect. The WADA code points out that the use of substances "based on the mistaken belief they enhance performance is clearly contradictory to the spirit of sport." In other words, it doesn't matter if HGH gives athletes an unfair advantage. If Jerry Hairston believes he's cheating, then he really is cheating.

That twisted logic has turned the latest round of busts into a giant PR campaign for growth hormone. Every star athlete who gets caught with a vial of HGH turns into a de facto spokesperson for the drug. In a certain sense, that might be a good thing: The media hype may soon make HGH so popular that it squeezes the more dangerous anabolic steroids out of the market. That's one way to clean up the game.

Seems like a silly way to go about it though, travelling from one bogeyman to another, but that seems to be the way things get done in this country.

And who cares if Hank Aaron doesn't show up for the record breaker? As far as I'm concerned, he couldn't hold Willie Mays' jock as a player. And if Mays had played in as hitter-friendly ballparks as Aaron enjoyed, we'd be taking about Bonds breaking Mays' record. And we might be waiting a bit longer for the record to fall. Mays might have hit 800.

I'm not going to go as far as calling Aaron a coward as Rob Parker did in this Detroit News article, but I do feel it shows a lack of class and respect for the game of baseball and Bonds accomplishments.

from detnews.com
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070420/SPORTS08/704200362/1129/rss15

And Bud Selig can stay home to for all I care. He was gutless at the beginning of this whole "steroids" mess and it wouldn't surprise me if he continued to be gutless now. If you really want to label anyone a coward in this whole mess, the guy for me would be Commissioner Bud Selig, representing all of the owners.

And for all the whiners, who won't be able to face baseball with Barry Bonds as it's Home Run King can always cheer on Alex Rodriguez as he makes a run at 800, 900 or, if he can get to Wrigley Field on a regular basis, who knows maybe 1000 HR's as the mark for future sluggers to shoot for.

Then tell me that the size of ballparks, the springiness of the baseballs, the dilution of pitching, etc. hasn't been a factor all these years. Me, I'll celebrate a great achievement, by a great major league hitter, possibly the best all-around hitter of this generation and most others.

The Keith Olbermanns of the world can stay home and make love to their inflatable Rebecca Lobo dolls or whatever young lady they're currently stalking (ahem, allegedly stalking) and try to pretend that they are the moral compass not only for baseball, but for the entire free world. Give me a M.F.-ing break. Where have you gone Harold Reynolds?

The Masters & This Weeks Miscellaneous Notes

The Return of Wood Bats to High School Baseball:

One of the more awesome things I saw this week was the use of wooden bats in one of the High School games I umpired. Apparently the Illinois High School Association is funding the use of wooden bats in certain conference games to provide data for comparison against the use of aluminum bats. There were quite a few broken bats in the game, the near arctic conditions may have had something to do with that, as well as for the lack of offense the wood bats are definitely going to bring.

As far as safety, one of the broken bat barrels went flying almost to the infield dirt between shortstop and third base. That's the one detrimental safety issue wood bats bring that aluminum does not (flying shards of wood), but apparently the minus three (-3) length to weight of the aluminum bats may not be as safe as originally believed.

But it was awesome to see the use and the sound of wooden bats in a high school game. I think we went from wood to aluminum bats when I was about 10 years old, which would be around 1969 or '70. I haven't seen many wooden bats used in game situations at the youth level since. In training situations, I try to get kids to at least take BP with wood and swing aluminum in games if they have to. Some are reluctant to go along. They should have seen some of the swings these high schoolers were putting out with the wood in their hands.

Rule of Thumb:
Aluminum Bat Swing Mechanics + Wooden Bat = Low Batting Average.
Wood Bat Swing Mechanics + Aluminum Bat = High Batting Average.

Something about not using the lower half of the body and just flicking the hands, which you can get away with when the power of aircraft aluminum bat technology is in your hands. Remove the "trampoline effect" and most kids can't generate any kind of power.

Kids in this conference who are used to hitting .300 may have to get used to .150 or less. Pitchers will be safer and much happier and may learn to pitch inside a bit and throw less breaking balls and more fastballs. What, those are not some of the residual effects we are tracking and studying, just safety? Oh well, I guess we have to hope that safety somehow rules the day.

The Cubs:

OMG. Where do I start? The over/under on Lou Piniella's first meltdown was ten games. He came in right about on the mark. He may wish he was back managing Tampa Bay in a couple more weeks.

Also coming in under the 10 game over/under mark for going on the DL was Mark Prior.
This time he is sent to the DL after his first appearance in AAA, before he even exceeded his self-imposed pitch count. I think I am in agreement with most Cubs fans who speculate that the mysterious ailment Prior suffers from is a torn labia.

For the anatomically challenged reader, it means that Mr. Prior may in fact be wasting his time seeing Dr. Lewis Yoachim the orthopaedic surgeon, he might be better served seeing a good gynecologist. Rough fans here in Chi-town.

Maybe he should ask Dr. Tom House to tell him the story about how Uncle Tommie's computer told him that Mark had perfect mechanics again. Garbage in, garbage out, I guess. That was a good story though. This guy can't be anymore a doctor than Dr. Suess. Oh and apparently he's not returning Mark's calls since he got hurt. Don't want a failure like that on your most recent marketing materials. Use the towel from the towel drill to cry into, Markie.

The Giants:
OK, so it's not time to panic over the poor start. But it is a good time to get panic warmed up in the bullpen. I'm just saying, fellas. Zito struggles. Bonds a little slow out of the gate, but still looks much better at the plate than last year, for certain. Cain pitches well, no offense. I know, a game or two here and there. A bounce or two. That's the small sample dilemna. But Giants fans are getting loose. That's all I'm saying.

The Masters:

By the way, his name is Zack Johnson, and he WON THE MASTERS. Tiger Woods didn't lose it. Why would he? That's not what he does. All the Tiger apologists, who had their stories written and the results pre-ordained, need to relax, take a deep breath, take off their Tiger Woods Under-oohs, and give Zack Johnson his just due. The kid made the shots he needed to and yes, Tiger folded under the pressure. "What just happened?" You just lost Tiger, it happens.

Of course, you knew most of the mainstream media would bury Zack as a feel-good story as soon as he took the occasion of his winning on Easter Sunday, to thank God. I know I did. No doubt about it. And that is of course what happened. Just calling it as I see it.

Answer:
Don Imus, Keith Olberman, Colin Cowherd, Rosie O'Donnell, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and Mike Nifong:

Question:
Who are seven major douchebags in the media this week, none of whom should be heard from again?

You are correct, grasshopper. And thanks for putting your answer in the form of a question.

Wow, where did that come from, huh? Well, my friends, it's so unusual when a perfect storm develops and all the things I've been ranting and raving about for years seems to come together to almost perfectly illustrate why I feel the way I do.

Don Imus: of course for his stupid comments about the Rutgers women's basketball team.
The Rutgers team was my favorite because they represented the State University of New Jersey and took on the Goliath that was Tennessee women's basketball. Imus history of comments and bigotry shows that racism and hatred are prevalant and tolerated in the media from both sides of the aisle, in spite of prior denials. And although this may seem like a borderline sports story, it in reality is the opening salvo of the major issue of the presidential campaign, which is control and composition of the media as it is currently constructed and the way information is disseminated in this country.

Just as the last election was more about the composition of the Supreme Court, even more so than issues like the war, this one will be about left-wing vs. right wing media, the Fairness Doctrine and other things we generally don't want to waste productive time learning about. Learn about it on a slow sport day or the next rain delay at your favorite teams baseball game.

Keith Olberman: who stunningly said this week he believed Rush Limbaugh is a racist, for his views and comment regarding Dononvan McNabb. Using the same criteria of course, one could take Olberman and companies comments regarding Barry Bonds and in a similar, connect the dots fashion, make the same charge. Live by the sword of leaky evidence and supposition, die by the same sword.

Colin Cowherd: ESPN radio talk-show douche who orchestrated his listeners in an attack on an Internet blog site, resulting in that site being put out of commission for a couple of days at least. The blog in question apparently wasn't even critical of Cowherd or ESPN, they apparently just did it for giggles. Of course, this is an illegal act, but why would those in power, employed by the World Wide leader in sports, worry about blog posters? Apparently, they are perceived as a threat to the way information is disseminated in the good-old USA. Of course, when members of the media commit crimes, it's OK or it's just a joke, right?

Remember, watch what they do, not what they say. Actions speak louder than words.
For example, Imus' employers didn't seem to be too insulted about their employees comments until the sponsors started bailing out. That tells you all you need to know.

Rosie O'Donnell: For chastising reports about the pet contamination. Something about it taking valuable media time away from the 24-7 bashing about the Iraq War, blah,blah,blah,blah,blah. It was a public service that was valuable to all pet owners. There will be plenty of time for the various talking heads to go back to the battle of the Blame Game and sicken us about the political process so much that less Americans will vote than voted in the last Iraqi election, even though those folks probably had to worry about getting blowed up on the way to the polling place. And less Americans vote every election. And we wonder why. This smacks of "my agenda and beliefs are more important than your beliefs" that we see in the media all the time.
Rosie, you have your platform, you have your time in the sun. Don't begrudge others their time to speak on issues they deem important, you big, fat bully.

Al Sharpton: who was probably right about Don Imus, but should be the last person on earth demanding an apology from anyone until he apologizes to those he smeared publicly during the Tawanna Brawley fiasco.

And I lump in fellow douchebag and serial extortionist Jesse Jackson, who apparently owes the Duke lacrosse players an apology for his quick trigger conclusions.
One day these race baiting extortionists will get the "justice" they deserve. The fact that they call themselves Reverends is an insult to all members of the clergy.

Show some character and leadership and apologize when you're wrong. You might get more respect that way fellas. At least Imus offered a somewhat weak and combative public apology. And he's out of work.

It has always amazed me that "so-called" black leaders aren't more out front on the issue of (C)Rap lyrics that denigrate women and African-Americans. Some have claimed that they are but the media doesn't give their efforts the same coverage. If that's the case, shame on them, but shame on the results these "leaders" have gotten.

When a Snoop Doggy Poop can go on the air and say his "art" is not comparable to what Don Imus does, he's right, but he's also an idiot. It's not comparable, it's far worse. In case you don't know Snoop, you're black, that's the difference, you piss on your own people, which makes what you do even more shameful. I'm surprised an Oprah Winfrey isn't more out front on this.

It's so shameful that idiots like Snoop and 50 cent (not worth a nickel to me) are more popular cultural icons and public figures than say a Jackie Robinson or a Martin Luther King. And if you don't know who these folks are or what they did kiddies crack open a book once in a while and find out why people are saying these guys should be more of an inspiration than they apparently are.

And how about Mike Nifong, who so ineptly demonstrates and illustrates that even District Attorneys and Prosecuter's put their own special interest ahead of the Justice they took a solemn oath to uphold. So let's not hear anymore that if these guys are investigating somebody, they are probably guilty. That's a perversion of the American system of Jurisprudence that even Edwin Meese would have blushed at.

It's time for the Court of Public Opinion to be closed down for good. It doesn't work, it ruins peoples lives irreparably, in many cases.

It was so rich this week to hear a Keith Olberman explain to his young sidekick Danny Patrick how guys like Nifong couldn't be sued for the damage they caused because of the positions they hold. Not true, there are cases that allow for suits to proceed. Then the diarrhea mouth waltzes into how public figures like an Imus or Kobe Bryant or even to a lesser extent himslf and little Danny Patrick really can't turn around and sue every false accuser, everyone that besmirches their names because it might lend credence to the charges, give them more attention then they are due, are nuisances to pursue, public figures have a higher bar to clear as far as charges being leveled in their direction, etc. All perfectly valid and cogent reasons.

However, he forgets that he and his sidekick strongly condemned Bonds and others for not suing when allegations came out in print. Why is it a perfectly acceptable response in the one instance, but a "strong sign of guilt" in the other instance KO?
Or is this a sign instead of your racist tendencies? Oops I'm applying the standard you used to call Rush Limbaugh a racist. MY BAD.

These ladies and gentlemen of the media (and yes, I use the term very loosely) are all subject to the same pressures to perform, to succeed, to get results, etc., as athletes are. They all need to, in some fashion, get ahead and stay ahead of their competition. For an Imus or Olberman or O'Donnell, it's a race to be the most outrageous, to get the best ratings and sponsorship dollars. And the next good gig or industry award. To cash in on the next contract negotiation.

For a Nifong, it's to get prosecutions, the higher profile the better. To get the better job, the better office, better position, etc. To get elected to the next highest position on the ladder.

For Olberman and his cohort Dan Patrick, it's hosting the Today Show, or Bob Costas Emmy Awards they covet. In the same fashion as they recklessly, and without any basis in fact (how can anyone pass off as known fact what another person feels in his heart and mind), speculate Barry Bonds took steroids because he was jealous of the results of Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, one could apply the same train of thought to their cases and come to much the same or similar conclusions, now couldn't one?

It's interesting to see them get tangled up in the gnarly web of lies and deceptions they've thrown out there to describe others behavior when events conspire to turn the mirror upon them and their industry and in fact their own behavior. It would be just as interesting to see the same litmus tests applied to them and their own circumstances. See how much they like the bright lights, big city then, huh?

Then they grow weary of talking about the subject after one or two days. But they'll beat the drums for years against Pete Rose or Bonds or Sosa or McGwire. Never get tired when the drum beats up against someone else head.

And it's not a liberal vs. conservative or left vs. right thing for me. A pox on both of their houses as far as I'm concerned.

It is interesting however that those on the left do seem to want to only talk, not listen so much lately. And they seem to favor, shutting down media sources that don't agree with them. The Communists do that don't they? And it's wrong, isn't it?

There's CNN and there's FOX News, and I know where both are on the dial. And I'm happy that both are there, even if I may agree with one somewhat more or less than the other at times. They both should thrive and survive. That's America.

I would liken a lot of the behavior we've seen this week to be be roughly akin to the Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED) problem in sports. This is the PED of the media. The race to get ahead, to be the most outrageous, to be the most colorful, most recognizable, have the highest Q rating.

These guys are all in some way, cheating or bending the rules or conventions or ethics of their chosen profession to get better results vis-a-vis their competition.
Don't just condemn Imus, you all swim in and help pollute the same dirty waters, IMO.
Just as his day has come, it will be interesting to see who is next. And over what comments they are thrown overboard.

What we are seeing here are the opening salvos in the war to control the flow of information to the masses, and that speaks to agenda, big-time. Don't let them fool you when they ALL SAY "I DON"T HAVE AN AGENDA, BUT THAT GUY THERE, HE DOES". They all do!

Interesting that some of these scumbags so readily and and recklessly throw stones at other peoples houses. As they say, let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
FASCINATING WORLD WE LIVE IN.

Random Pre-Final Four - Opening Day Notes

OK, OK. Michael Irvin is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but out as ESPN commentator? It's a deal. WTF, at least the HOF doesn't broadcast blabbering bullshit into my living room on a weekly basis. How I'm going to understand TO now, without his personal mouthpiece pontificating from his bully(bullshit?) pulpit, I don't know.

Reminds me of the old lawyer joke though. You know the one. What's 1,000 lawyers chained together at the bottom of the ocean? (Answer: A good start). Well, this is merely a good start by the Worldwide Leader. A necessary spring cleaning.

Theismann out of MNF, another nice touch. Ron Jaworski as replacement is a nice upgrade. You don't have to worry aboout Jaws being dull on air, or too exciting off the air. Plus, seeing him and hearing his voice is a constant reminder of LT coming off the corner and blindsidng his ass. It would be like how Eagle fans would feel if Joe Pisarcik were the new analyst. Hey, those are the breaks. At least Herman Edwards is still coaching, right? So it evens out.

But let's get serious ESPN. Let's really roll up our sleeves and go all the way. There's not anyone roaming the halls in Bristol,CT or cleaning the stalls for that matter, who has more knowledge and camera presence than Jeff Brantley? He should be next. And Kruk too for that matter. I'm not seeing the appeal or feeling the knowledge. Orestes Destrade seems ready to move up to the big club.

And how about Doug Gottlieb? How many more lunches have to mysteriously dissapear from the employee lounge fridge before ESPN security puts two and two together? How much loose change has to be pilfered from hard-working, lower level employees desks before justice is done once and for all?

And how can the good women employees of ESPN feel safe from sexual harassment? You throw them the bone of the Harold Reynolds firing yet leave the carcass of Sean Salisbury and his wonder-cell-phone? Qu'elle charade!!

Oh well, on to the Final Four Front. Team Slavik has 3 of the Final Four and had 6 of the Elite Eight and still sits 16 out of 32 brackets in the company pool. That's a tough pool. I'm glad I don't gamble, at least not with my own money (sorry honey).

You gotta love the Cubs chances this year, huh? I mean who'd have guessed that Mark Prior and Kerry Wood would open the season on the DL? What are the odds? They both seemed so healthy and with such immaculate past medical records. Hey, they've come so close to a century of futility, why mess it up now, who knows when you might get an opportunity to be a part of this type of history of futility again? Go Cubs.




Are Jeter and A-Rod still dating? TLF, right? Pre-pubescent girls talk about and stress over not sleeping over their friends house, not major league MVP candidates. OMG!! At least you know these two guys are not on the juice, too much estrogen here. And what's with Mussina v. Pavano and the little hissy cat-fight these guys have going on? Old-time Yankees are spinning in their graves. Back in the day, there would be a little clubhouse dust-up, or even better an on-field brouhaha, and the combatants would go out, have a beer and it would be over. Now, everyone wants to get in front of a microphone and talk about their problems with Dr. Phil. Sometimes, old-school is better. I guess violence is never the answer, except maybe when it beats the alternative. Go Yankees.



Devil Rays in the World Series by 2010? That would be too cool and yet somehow maybe plausible? Possibly improving to possible if some things go right. Still a frontline ace pitcher and a stud closer away, at least. But they're young enough and talented enough and gosh darn it, people like them. Go Devil Rays.

My pre-season Divison winner predictions:
NL East: Mets
NL Central: Cardinals
NL West: Dodgers
Wild Card: Giants

Al East: Yankees
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Angels
Wild Card: Indians

World Series: Giants vs. Yankees
World Series Winner: Giants

Over/Under on Bonds breaking Aaron's record: September 3rd.

DEADLINE DEALS - WINNERS AND LOSERS

WINNER - Tigers / Sean Casey - He goes from the moribund Pirates to the penthouse Tigers overnight. Folks, that's like going to bed with Rosanne Barr and waking up with Anna Kournikova. Big winner. Where does one sign up for a deal like that?

LOSER - Devil Rays Fans - bye, bye Aubrey Huff, bye, bye Julio Lugo. Hello, uh who?? This team continues to cry financial poor mouth year after year while forcing it's fans to endure a product that must make the few fans who attend want to stick sewing needles into their eyeballs on a nightly basis. These thieves make an estimated $90 million in revenues annually, while spending, what $30 million in salaries. Insane. And year after year they trade what few talented players they have for somebody elses maybes. They should have been contracted, failing that, they should be beaten like the dogs they are. The new owners are as big a bunch of crooks as the old bunch with a better PR department.

LOSER - Giants - After sticking thier heads above .500 and into the NL West lead for what, one day, the geriatric Giants gagged in the rarified air and crawled back under the oxygen tent to die. Like Punksatawnee Phil these ground hogs saw their shadows and ran for cover like a bunch of pansies. Sabean sucks. Pick up another Sidney Ponson to drive a stake further into your fans hearts you fricking loser. I wish someone would fungo bat his head into McCovey's Cove. It might bob to the surface with more IQ points.

LOSER - Houston - We do have a problem. The Clemens dividend is not paying off, beacuse the anemic offense problem was band-aid-on-a-gunshot-blast fixed with Devil Rays Aubrey Huff.
You can't ask a former Devil Ray to uplift a competitive franchise. I just got done telling you the Rays are to competitive what Paris Hilton is to chastity. Rememeber that analogy, it will be on your next SAT or Wunderlic test for sure. Pissed off star pitchers Brad Lidge and Roy Oswalt by dangling them in trade discussons, with Lidge allegedly ordered to be traded by owner Dreyton McLane. The Clemens life raft to Boston was loaded with provisions and ready for sail but this time the owner couldn't pull the trigger. What a mess this clubhouse could become down the stretch.

WINNER - Mets Fans - Omar Minaya is the darling among GM's right now. One of his relievers goes down in a ill-timed Miami cab driver accident, (what a surprise, they always seemed to emphasize safety when I was there, right after good hygiene) and he goes right out and gets Roberto Hernandez from the Pirates in addition to LHP Oliver Perez. I know what your thinking, but Slav, Roberto was an ex-DRay. Yes, he was students, but he's far enough removed that the jinx has had more than enough time to wear off. He should help at least as much as passenger car dummy Dionar Sanchez.

WINNER - Yankees - Abreu??? are you kidding me, just keep loading All-Star after All-Star onto the payroll. If they ever all get healthy at the same time even Joe Torre won't be able to figure out what to do with all the bats. P.S. - does Abreu pitch? Ah, who cares when you can score two touchdowns per game. Ron Guidry could start in a pinch and win some games for them. And he might have to.

LOSER - Dodgers - DRay Lugo and museum piece Maddux for prospects. Talk about mortgaging the future to win now. And they might not win now. Or ever, if this organizational leadership continues. Ned Colletti must have rubbed against Giants GM Brian Sabean one too many times in the owners suite. Stupid is as stupid does.

LOSER - Red Sox - Snooze you lose sucker. Many logs in the fire, but apparently no matches.

LOSER - White Sox - Stand pat, while Tigers improve, while Twins don't make a panic move that would mortgage their future. Could end up in third in the division and/or out of the wild card hunt pretty quickly. Whatever spark they had was extinguished early in the season. This team needed a pilot light. Kenny Williams didn't find it. Minor league system doesn't have it, bench doesn't have it. One shot wonders.

LOSERS - Cubs?? - No way, only if the beer runs out at Wrigley, they extend Dusty Baker, Kerry Wood and/or Mark Prior. If the extensions flow, the beer needs to be a much stronger brand for next year.

We'll see in 60 days or so who turns these moves into magic.