Home Opener in Greenville

One week after arriving at the Tusculum University campus the Flyboys of Greenville will have their home opener. The town of Greenville has a population of about 15,000 people. It was named after a civil war figure, Nathanael Greene. It is also the second oldest city in Tennessee. Pioneer Park sits on the campus of Tusculum University.

Greenville has a long history of Appalachian League baseball dating back to 1921. The team has partnered with the university for the baseball stadium which is the finest in the Appy League. The stadium was built in 2004 and is shared between the Tusculum Pioneers and the Flyboys Tusculum University is the second oldest college in the state of Tennessee( founded in 1794.The outside of the stadium is a nice brick wall facade and the concourse inside is wide, very spacious. Stadium capacity is about 2,600. There are even four luxurious rental suites to watch the game from up behind home plate. For player and fan alike. this stadium works well.

The home opener features an interdivisional game against the Doughboys of Johnson City. The initial game was a little chippy between the two collegian league teams. This was a back and forth battle with a lot of scoring opportunities early in the game. Our starting pitcher worked out of several jams and the bullpen held them down over the later innings of the game, The game was a little sloppy tonight. A constant drizzling rain did not help the quality of play. As the great Jim Hoff once stated, it generally is not the runs your starter gives up that beats you but the runs your bullpen gives up. That was the case tonight as the Flyboys out bullpenned the Doughboys. Fly Flyboys Fly. A robust fireworks show followed the game. Fans and players alike enjoyed a really good show. We go for the sweep in this two game set tomorrow night!

Flyboys – A True Story of Courage is a book written by James Bradley. This riveting book, Flyboys, is a story of war and horror but also courage and friendship. The story includes a Flyboy who escapes captivity, also a young Naval pilot named George W. Bush who later became president of The United States. The book details a World War II incident of the miserable execution and cannibalism of five of eight POWs held in the Pacific island of Chichi-jima. The author researched the Incidemt which was covered up by the Japanese government.

There is also a 2006 movie coined Flyboys. The story occurs around the time the U.S. entered World War I. Several American youths volunteered for the French military. Subsequently, they became the first fighter pilots and formed a squadron known as the Lafayette Escadrille. Their heroism and exploits have became legendary.

These Flyboys of Greenville are in reference to an old airfield at the site of the stadium where the city’s previous baseball players took the field.

Historic Plane at Greenville Municipal Airport

Road Trip to Bluefield

The Flyboys made their first overnight road trip of the season. The 1-1 club loaded the team bus Saturday morning for the 146 mile trek from Greenville to Bluefield, Va. We will play a two game set against the Ridge Runners. The city of Bluefield sits along the Bluestone River and is home to Bluefield State College as well. The town has a population of about 5,000 and I think all of them were at a carnival that was snuggled up to the baseball stadium. The stadium is called Bowen Field. The park was originally built in 1939 during the Great Depression. It was renovated in 1975. It holds 3000 and the seats were once those of the Anaheim Angels. The backdrop here is rather unique, surrounded by trees.

I mentioned the carnival earlier and it was kind of nice to smell the delicious aroma of funnel cakes from the bullpen. The aroma of corn dogs and carnies was not that impressive, however. One could see the towering rides in the short distance and hear the screams of those who ventured on the carnival rides. Oh yea, the games. The Boys fell in the first game as the Bluefield team simply outslugged us. Over the course of a season one third of the games you out slug your opponent and one third they out slug your team. The difference is those remaining one third of games where the team who defends better and executes situational baseball wins. This is what championship teams do – they win a high percentage of close games. Game two of the series the Flyboys adjust on the fly, get it? Our scheduled started is suspended shortly before the first pitch. Readers, he did nothing evil but it is what it is. The the remainder of the pitching staff step it up and we shake hands and have a happy flight home. Wait, I mean bus ride. Home opener on Tuesday after a needed off day on Monday. LG Flyboys.

Opening Day – Appy Style

I attended seven opening days in Major League Baseball amd there is nothing like it. I also was in uniform for twenty six in the minor league opening nights but never one in the Appalachian League. On this day, the Flyboys of Greenville travel to Elizabethton,Tn. It is a commuter trip, meaning we drive to the city, play and return home after the game. This field in Elizabethton is the smallest in all of minor league baseball There are three sets of grandstands, each very different from the other. The clubhouse is “ dusty”,the playing surface is adequate for this league. The scoreboard does not work, almost like the season has snuck up on the fine folks there. The mounds are flat -both game and bullpen. This ballpark sits on the Watauga River. The Watauga runs from Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina into Eastern Tennessee. The river that rubs aside the ballpark is beautiful

The game is nearly underway. A former player of mine is the manager for newly coined River Riders. The attendance is sparse, the excitement and energy from the players is not. The teams, battle for nine innings. Some sloppy play from time to time but expected as each team had one workout before opening day. Let not one forget, these excitable players are collegians not paid professionals. Intensity, hustle and effort spilled out from initial pitch to last swing of the bat. The Flyboys fall in the season opener by one run. The men played hard, tomorrow is a new day and I can’t wait to be a part of it.

Meeting The Flyboys

The inaugural season for the USA Baseball and MLB run Appalachian League starts one day after reporting day. The day before our first and only preseason workout we board a bus headed to East Tennessee State University baseball stadium. The team has 16 pitchers to begin the season. I have researched the players on the roster. I am trying to learn as much as I can about each athlete before meeting them in person.

The teamed donned these sweet Appy league tee shirts and shorts on this warm, muggy Tennessee afternoon. I have roster in hand so that I can learn the names of the players as quickly as possible. Oh man did we make a blunder the initial day. We wore the shirts with no numbers on the back. After a team briefing from the manager, coaches, medical team and USA Baseball personnel, I can get my first sit down with the pitchers.

I have learned over the years how short the attention span of us males can be- well limited. So, I am going to be loud, to the point, make it light, informative and humorous to break up the conversation. The most glaring issue is who is this guy talking, me. So an introduction of my playing and coaching history is the leadoff hitter. Secondly is finding out who is ready to pitch the next day. By the end of the workout I announced who will toe the rubber the first two days of the season. It did make me feel uncomfortable asking a pitcher who is in the middle of throwing a bullpen , “ what is your name again”. Well, we made it through the first day despite not knowing anyone’s name. In professional baseball the coaches are called by their first name, not coach. But these kids call me coach, which on the inside makes me smile. Coach is the second greatest moniker, next to Dad!! Tomorrow, is a commuter trip to play in Elizabethton, Tn. A new adventure, a new city and a new league kicks it out tomorrow.

Another Summer of Baseball Awaits

A new adventure in around the corner. I will serve as a pitching coach in the newly former Appalachian League My new team has been coined, The Greenville Flyboys. The Appalachian League is and will be a summer collegiate baseball league that is part of the MLB and USA Baseball Prospect Pipeline, a pathway for amateur baseball players in the United States. The league will be an integral part of the identification and development process for USA Baseball Collegiate National Team and other national teams.

The Appy League is one of the longest running leagues in professional baseball history. It began originally began in 1911. This is a 10 team league. There will be a 54 game schedule. I and my partner, Road Momma will chronicle, unbiasedly, the daily happenings of The ” Appy League” life. The journey will begin on June 1st as I leave the comforts of Cary for the unknown( well, for me anyway).

I have worked a lot of leagues in the past 33 years but never this one. I have been to Princeton, WV as the Cincinnati Reds had a Rookie level team there years ago. Princeton is a member of the Appalachian League, by the way. This should be a fun season, very eye opening. Let’s don’t forget I was in the Major Leagues from 2012 to 2018. I see this as an opportunity. I have not been seen by the baseball community since 2019 and out of sight and out of mind as the saying goes. This will be a fun ride and I will keep you updated each day. Oh, the co-writer you ask, Road Momma. I will let her introduce herself. All as I can say is she has argued in front of the Supreme Court, ran the Disney Marathon and adopted an entire baseball team in 2019. Stay tuned.

Mack

Interview with Mister Mack

youtube.com/watch

Gains are not linear.

On day one of my throwing velocity class there are two dozen young athletes, all with the desire to throw harder. This professor of velocity briefly outlines the class. Weeks 1-6 we will assess your ability to move, we will measure one’s strength, learn and execute the exercises, drill work will be performed with the sole goal in mind- which is- to promote arm care while learning to throw the ball hard. As the class enters the final week of our ramping up period we begin to discus the velocity enhancement portion of the course. One point we must emphasize, velocity gains are not linear. When heard, the average athlete thinks” that does not apply to me”, but for the majority of athletes and people. this will become true. It is the frustrating part of training. The lack of weekly gains can cause one to question the methodology of the program design, it makes one wonder” what am I doing wrong”. Driveline baseball, a pioneer in baseball research and player development, displays a graph where athletes hits a lull and underlines this part sucks. Many other strength and conditioning blogs have written about strength gains not being linear. Many times a climb in strength will often be followed by a dip in power before we climb to a higher threshold, Reaching a PR
( personal record) in velocity is an amazing, rewarding, exhilarating feeling. A reward for all my hard work. It makes me fired up to see the athlete hit another PR.

Sports often mimics life and as we know, success is not always linear as well. We climb the corporate ladder each year and all of a sudden, we are passed up for one promotion, just one, and self doubt begins to creep in our thoughts. Professional baseball players usually start their careers in Rookie level baseball. Man, the next year I am moving on up the Low A baseball. The next season comes, a promotion to High A. The over confident thoughts of, I have this figured out is at the forefront of my mind, I will be major leaguer in two or three years. But, the harsh truth is, next year I find myself repeating the same level of competition. What is happening, we ask ourselves. Why are they doing this to me? I was on schedule to make my Major League debut in two more years. Will people look differently at me since an not climbing up as fast?. I possibly wish I would have been more humble and not talked so openly how I was on the fast track to stardom. We all face road blocks, detours, temporary plateaus in our personal development, our professional life and even in our pursuit of elite velocity. How we react it what separates people/ athletes in their relentless pursuit of excellence.

A bump in the road is not a crossroad, let’s not a mountain out of a molehill my momma says. She is right. However, spending too much time standing in place is an issue if you are truly chasing excellence in your life or in your athletic goals. Many times, we look outward to find fault in one’s lack of personal gains. Richard Bach, an American writer widely known of some of the 70’s biggest sellers, wrote ” The worst lies are the ones we tell ourselves”. Those lies are dangerous. In this classroom, the teacher- that’s me- is selling the point that we are going to look inward when things are not going our way. This arm care and velocity program is based on principles. We are going to ask ourselves if we are meeting the given criteria are we controlling the controllables? Difference making areas we need to examine; proper sleep, calorie intake, hydration. We are going to check these boxes first. Let’s examine our foundational principles. Question one, how am moving? We are going to walk through the FMS movement screen, re test our strength and check our technique through slow motion video. Self examination, one might state. One that doesn’t weigh heavy on opinions but on facts. One particular frustrated participant found himself to have poor range of motion and needed to follow up with corrective exercises. His upper body strength had lessened with his performance. He honestly stated how terrible he had been with proper hydration because it simply has not been a priority. I give this young man props, he looked inward. A plan was out in place. Best pitching advice I was ever given, ” plan your work, work your plan”. Thanks to Larry Rothschild, long time major league coach, for that gem. A player development plan, one could replace the word player with personal or career, we have to have plan of attack. Now, that we are focused on the process, the gains are climbing once again.

gains have not been linear. A personal development plan is in place for this eager student!!

Velocity Camp Highlights

Teaching young athletes arm care and proper throwing techniques

Fired

On April 18, 2018 the Cincinnati Reds lost 2-0 in Milwaukee to the Brewers which dropped the team record to a woeful 3-15 mark. Soon after the team’s charter flight landed in St. Louis, the buses pulled up to the hotel, I was summoned to manager Bryan Price’s room. The entire coaching staff was crammed inside, along with the medical staff and other members of the traveling party. I was informed that I has been fired, along side Bryan, who delivered the news. The room was quiet briefly before Mr. Price began to speak, eloquently as always. I just could not hang around to listen, so many things were running through my head. I told the group I would ” see them on the other side” as I slid out the backdoor. I have worked in this organization for 32 years. Gathering my thoughts I called my former wife to let her know what happened and everything would be fine. Most importantly, call our children so they hear it from her rather seeing it on a ticker at the bottom of an ESPN broadcast. I also had a text message waiting from the general manager of the team to come to his room as well. It was an eerie walk , but is part of a coach’s or athlete’s life. That does not make it any easier. The men were cordial, direct and I was told ownership wanted a new voice- and basically that was it. I had a feeling this was coming, just the vibe I had been given since an encounter with ownership during spring training at a party that featured all the owners and staff for a gorgeous dinner on the side of Camelback Mountain.

I walked quickly to my room to pack and sort out thoughts. The traveling secretary, handled the travel back to Cincinnati where a driver took me to the stadium. The clubhouse attendants are waiting to help, the security team is there to help, all involved are truly professional as I pack my things. A person can accumulate a plethora of items working somewhere for eight years and it took some time to consider which belongings were was junk, what I wanted to take home. I spent hours going through paper work, disc drives, computer documents as well as clothes, shoes, gloves. I was finally ready to say goodbye to the place I loved to come to work to every day. I even showed up to work when there was no game that day. I signed a professional contract with the Reds in 1986. A legendary scout, George Zuraw, tendered my first contract. He told me the day my contract was inked to not be afraid to be the first one there(at the ballpark) and the last one to leave, I did that every day for over 31 years. I walked out of the stadium for the final time that day with my head held high.

Get behind it

Throwing a ball the properly and powerfully requires a few absolutes. It also allows for individualism and warrants that the thrower eventually allow his or her athleticism shine. I want to encourage the thrower to take ownership of his or her throwing delivery. One area that the thrower must get right is that at release point we must be behind the ball. I hope to explain exactly what that statement means through some simple instruction and video.

When the thrower gets behind the ball, his fingers, the middle and index fingers, are powerfully on the ball at release, peeling the seams back to produce mighty back spin. Having one’s hand behind the ball, along with a good wrist snap gives the ball proper spin direction as well. ( imagination your middle finger as chalk, drawing a perfectly straight line on the chalk board, this equates to the right wrist snap). As you see in the pictures, the forearm is also behind the ball. And as any properly flowing kinetic chain, the throwing shoulder is also behind the ball at release point. As well as the chin and chest. Now that is a powerful position. The energy created at the ground has transferred up the legs, through the body and come out at the finger tips. An amazing motion to conquer and fun too. You can imagine yourself trying to push a wall down, go ahead and try. To exert the most force against the wall, you will find yourself in a similar position to the “behind the ball” position when throwing your favorite round ball.

Getting behind the ball. Don’t let the Bucs short or quarantine hair scared ya

One can see in the video that the torso, waist are in line with the intended target as wee. A throwers legs provide direction, among others factors, but proper direction of the stride leg gets us in position to be behind the ball with out torso, chin and chest. Try this. I am confident you know how to get behind each throw.