Good Trade for the Braves??? Time will tell...

Yesterday, I was very surprised to learn the Braves had traded Javier Vazquez (who, if you need to be reminded, finished fourth in the N.L. Cy Young Voting this past season and won every game he pitched down the stretch) to the Yankees for basically, with all due respect, a Career .269 Hitting Outfielder in Melky Cabrera. 

However, the more I study the trade, the more I think GM Frank Wren might have made another terrific move in the Braves favor for three reasons. 

1) Vazquez's salary was $11.5 million a year...Cabrera's $1.4 million...Hocus Pocus...The Braves just created an extra $10 million dollars to re-sign Adam Laroche at first , and replaced the old man in left, Garrett Anderson (who by the way, made $2.5 million last season...Add this money to the mix and you have $12.5 million to re-sign Laroche with...if you maintain last year's salary numbers), with a switch-hitting pair of very good defensive, 25 year old legs in Cabrera. 

2) Arodys Vizcaino and Mike Dunn...These two power arms reportedly stay well in the mid-90's with their fastball and help the Braves maintain their organizational approach of running as many arms as you can to the bump so one or two can eventually become great (see the 1990's if you question this approach).  In other words, there is strength in numbers when looking for pitching.

3) John Smoltz...I'll never forget when the Braves traded away Doyle Alexander to the Detroit Tigers in '87 and he went 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA to help the Tigers win the A.L. East Title, and the Braves just continued to suck.  Little did I know, patience is a virtue at such a young age, and the GM for the Braves at the time (a guy by the name of Bobby Cox) knew exactly what he was doing in acquiring a AA Righty in that trade who would become the all-time winningest pitcher in post-season history named John Smoltz.

In other words, trades are very hard to read right away.  Like a fine wine, give them a little time, and then the truth will be known.  Frank Wren deserves that...as does Melky Cabrera, Arodys Vizcaino, and Mike Dunn.   

  

Bryce Harper's Swing!

If you haven't had an opportunity to see Bryce Harper's amazing swing in action, check out this clip from the Home Run Derby earlier in the year in the 2009 Power Showcase at Tropicana Field (P.S. This is where he hit a ball 502 ft.!!!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liS3kGvQ9Bk&feature=player_embedded#

Life to the Max!

Check out this terrific clip from a TV Show in Minnesota called "Life to the Max!"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFmZCCiawkA


The clip outlines my good friend (and host at the Winter Meetings) Jim Anderson and his partner, Paul Johnson, and their terrific bat company, Max Bats!

P.S. If you look closely, I make a cameo appearance in two of the clips from the Metrodome.  (Luckily, I didn't break the camera (LOL)!!!

Technorati Today!

"You never stop learning."

Apparently, Technorati is the place to be in the blogging world (NMZ7YKYKCTJT), which is good to know since I'm working on a learning curve.  (A big thank you to Claire Druga of HHB Advertising for all the help she continues to provide me with!)

When I went to college, we had to go to the library and read books to do research papers.  We had to know the Dewey Decimal System and the "computer room" was that...A room full of computers.

I don't know if technology has made everything better in our lives (I do miss the days before cell phones invaded our privacy, and before GPS, when getting lost meant stumbling across something new that you never would have seen otherwise), but I do know the fact I can share my thoughts on the great game of baseball with so many people across this great nation is absolutely mind-boggling and amazing. 

A Hall of Famer Returns.

The Voice who described such October Miracles as Kirk's Drive into the Night, the Ball Through Buckner's Legs, and Larsen's Perfect Game is returning to the microphone in Los Angeles.

On Tuesday, the Dodgers announced that 82-year-old Broadcasting Legend Vin Scully will return to the booth next year to begin his 61st season with the club.  With a voice that paints a masterpiece with each passing inning I, for one, am so glad he decided to continue in the Broadcast Booth.

When I was playing in the Cal League in '96, occasionally fans would have the Dodger games on the radio while we were playing.  (The reason I could hear it...Because I was sitting in the Pen!)  One night, I heard Vin describe a play at the plate.  His voice never rose in excitement.  It never became shrill as the runner raced to the plate and he casually told us (who were sitting hours away from Chavez Ravine) that "the runner was out from you to me."  A smile eased across my face as I could picture the image in my head.  An image created by one of the best (if not, the best).  An image created by the ebb and flow of a performing artist singing a song about the summer game I love so much.

Welcome back, Vin.  Here's wishing you many more.

Cuban B.P.!!!

Kirk Quasebarth wrote me on http://www.checkswing.com/ with the following question:  "What drills do you have your hitters repetively do in order to acheive understanding and mastery of hitting the inside of the ball? Do you do anything different as you teach older players? (high school... college)?"

Do I have drills??? (LOL) Absolutely, Kirk.  Here are two you will really like.

1) When your hitters are doing tee work, have the ball always turned with the "horseshoe" facing the hitter.  In this manner, the hitter will focus on the inner half (or to simplify it, I like to say the part closest to him or her...), rather than the "back" or the "top".  For smarter/older kids, (and this relates to the part of your question referring to older players), have the hitter picture a "Dot" on the inside of the baseball.  (or if you would prefer, just draw a dot inside the horseshoe on your cage balls.  That way, the dot is there and the kids will have a visual aid to reinforce the technique you are teaching.

2) Cuban B.P.  (One of my all-time favorites!!!)  If you are performing front flip or regular B.P. with your hitters, take the L-Screen and turn it where you are located between first and second base for Rightys and between second and third for Leftys (a severe opposite field angle to the hitters).  This is the way the Cuban National Team regularly takes B.P. and it really works! This severe angle makes it very easy for your hitters to learn how to "stay inside the ball" because, due to the angle, they have no choice!!!  The inside of the ball becomes the only part of the baseball the hitter can make direct contact with (in other words, he or she can't "cast out" and "hook around" the baseball.) 

Also, Kirk.  Please remember to remind the hitter to hit the part of the ball closest to them, and as a result, you will see their hands follow a truer path to the ball, you will see the hitter accomplishing "fade" on the ball as it carries into the gaps and you will see your hitters create more line drives due to the fact they regularly hit the inside half...Side benefit, once you return B.P. to the mound area/middle of the field, you no longer have an angle on the hitter (which is BTW, as I'm sure you well know, one of the secrets to being an effective pitcher...Creating angle) and the ball will look HUGE to your hitters!  (This makes this drill extremely effective in Pre-Game B.P.)

Try it out with your club and please let me know if you have any other questions.  I'm always ready to help.