Baseball & The 4th of July

Baseball and the 4th of July celebration has been a part of my entire adult life. From 1986 to 2021, I have spent 33 of those Independence Day celebrations on the baseball field. I have been a player during that time, a minor league coach, a major league coach. And this time, a coach in the newly reformed Appalachian League. This league is full of collegians from across the country. We will be involved with celebrations on three consecutive days. The Flyboys will be in Burlington, NC, Johnson City, Tn and of course, Pioneer Park in Greenville.

Lest not we forget that the fourth is Independence Day. The holiday marks the day in 1776 when the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence This signaled the official separation of the original thirteen colonies from Great Britain amid the Revolutionary War. While doing a little research it turns out that fireworks were used to celebrate the holiday in 1777. The first ever recorded Fourth of July party was held in Philadelphia, Pa., How many forefathers envisioned it, the celebration included illuminations, a parade, and explosions. President John Adams wrote that the date, (July 4,) will be celebrated by future generations with pomp, games and festivals. Early Americans brought fireworks with them to the New World and the quickly became a July 4th tradition.

Some of my best Independence Day celebrations were in Indianapolis. The AAA stadium, Victory Field, was packed each time Louisville played there. The streets were also lined with people. The fireworks, music and light show entertained thousands who come for the party. The 2021 celebrations started in Burlington, where the stadium was packed. The music with loud and lively. The crowd was entertained with on field promotions. The stadium was truly buzzing with energy. The Sock Puppet fans were loud and excited. The game cruised along for eight innings. The teams entered the final frame knotted at one run apiece. Then, the Puppets could not throw strikes. The game came to a crawl. The Boys had opened a five run lead when the skies opened up and without warning it flooded. It was a rain storm of Biblical proportions. The grounds crew raced to cover the field, the crowd hurried for cover. About the time the deluge slowed down the City made a good decision, they let the fire works loose, regardless of the end of the game. The fireworks show was spectacular and the fans enjoyed every minute of the illuminated rainy night sky. We were not able to complete the game after a long day, another good decision.

The second fireworks show was a July 3rd celebration in Johnson City. Last time we played in this stadium there weee fireworks of a different kind. Doughboys coaches were ejected, there were rowdy fans escorted from the stadium. I am hoping for a little more family and fan friendly crowd this time around. This game started out with a good pace, the Boys held an early 4-0 lead but the Doughboys fought back. Ryan Franklin, entered the game in the fifth inning with two men on base amd two others had scored. A huge strikeout ended the rally. The crowd was boisterous and and the excitement was high. But the Flyboys rolled out the dough winning the game by four. The fireworks show was stylish amd loud. The fans and players enjoyed the illuminated skies over Johnson City.

The final July 4, Independence Dsy celebration took place on the campus of historic Tusculum University. It was a great night. The crowd filled the seats like we have not witnessed before tonight. A nee attendance record was announced late in the game. The buzz of the crowd, the Star Spangled Banner, the smell of hamburgers, if this doesn’t get your blood pumping- something is definitely wrong with you. The Flyboys dominated the game, which was extremely long due to the frequency of base on balls by the City Doughboys. The game ended in odd fashion as we kicked five ground balls in the final frame. The stadium lights went out and the show began. Many Flyboys were joined on the field by close friends. The others joined arm in arm to admire the Independence Day celebration. It was a fantastic night. It is amazing how baseball brings people together,makes me proud to be involved.

The Sock Puppets

The Flyboys are on a two game losing streak, what? The Sock Puppets, you heard that right, are traveling to Greenville for a two game set. In an article from mlb.com, it is written that the team from Burlington now has an identity that embraces the history of the community as well as one that is unique. The identity was created by Dan Simon of Studio Simon. The name Sock Puppets, gives homage to the rich textile tradition of the Burlington area by featuring two different sock puppets inside the primary logo.

The Flyboys pitchers have been working hard before each game. The team of seventeen pitchers is a good group. The players all are religious with their arm care. The Greenville team has supplied the fellas with bands for daily warmup and strengthening. The band routine is something every pitcher should do on a daily basis. We have several sets of bands that clip on to any chain link fence. The club also has plyo balls. These pliable throwing balls are of different weights. Driveline is the manufacturer of these balls. There are a series of throwing drills the pitcher can do every day as well. Generally, one would choose a maximum of four throwing drills to complete every day. There are seven basic movements to do with these “skittles” as some call them because each ball is a different color. Driveline not only makes the weighted balls, it provides education for throwers as well as research to back the benefit of each throwing drill. What I like most about the drills is that they should be unique for each pitcher as everyone has different needs, The idea of the drills is to make the user better at pitching, not good at the drills. So each throwing drill has a purpose and needs to be completed with the purpose of the drill in mind. The Appy League also uses the latest tracking technology, Rapsodo and Trackman. These simply track the flight and spin of the ball. It will tell us how fast the baseball is moving, the direction it is moving, how much spin is on the ball. These devices can also give the user some metrics about the pitcher. How high from the ground he lets go of the baseball, what the pitchers’ arm angle is at release, the angle of the ball when it is released. So, fun stuff. This data that is collected can be used to help the coach and player script an individual development plan for every athlete .Something as simple as the pitcher’s arm angle is different on each type of pitch the pitcher may throw. So, along with video, we can assist the pitcher release his fastball, curveball and changeup from the same window. This way, everything looks the same to the hitter when the pitch is released. Hey, every competitive edge we can get we use here with the Flyboys. However, with all the technology available, the pitcher must cross that white foul line and compete. The pitcher must plan his work( pregame) and work his plan during the game. That is a simple formula for a high percentage of success on the mound.

Game one of the series goes to the Boys. The bats were rolling tonight and an eighth inning bomb off the scoreboard in left field sealed the deal. The bullpen was not clean tonight but each pitcher managed to make a pitch to escape the big inning. Game two was hampered by lightning delays but the Flyboys tossed their second shutout of the young season. More importantly, two of the four pitchers in this game made adjustments from their previous games. Dawson Gause worked two shutout innings. Zach Fruit,’of Easter Michigan, worked two exceptional innings showing a huge gain in control of his pitches and quality of his slider. Zane Robbins finished the shutout with two strikeouts in final frame. Zane, has developed since joining the beginning of the season. He has seen a significant jump in velocity, throwing efficiency and quality of breaking ball spin. Remember how we measure pitch metrics? Many fans and coaches can be intimidated by the new way of collecting data. But the truth is, baseball has always quantified a player’s tools. The days of just using a stopwatch, a hand held radar gun and a vhs recorder are over. We are quantifying player performance at a new level. When used correctly this information can help a team sign the best player available, it can cut the learning curve down for players of all ages as well.

Flyboys earned a day off Monday. The team went 4-2 on the week including sweeps at Bristol and at Pioneer Park against Burlington. The team heads East Tuesday for the longest road trip of the season to date, a five game trip starting in Pulaski and ending in Johnson City with a stop in Burlington in the middle

Invasion of the River Turtles

The River Turtles of Pulaski pulled in to town donned in their emerald green uni’s for a weekend contest against the Flyboys of Greenville, Tennessee. Pulaski is in Virginia. The town was named after a Count Casimir Pulaski, a Revolutionary war hero from Poland. The population of the town is around 10,000. According to Trip Advisor the number one attraction is Calfee Park, which is summer home to the River Turtles. Pulaski first hosted professional baseball back in 1942. The city has hosted young players from the Brooklyn Dodgers to the New York Yankees, most recently. Calfee park was built in 1935 as part of the New Deal enacted by President Franklin Roosevelt. This historic ballpark has been used for horse shows, fairs, concerts, exhibitions and of course, baseball. The park was renovated in 1999. Calfee park has been added to the National and State Historic Landmarks Registry.

The River Turtles own one of the leagues most potent offenses. This should be quite the weekend matchup. The Flyboys pitching staff holds the Turtles down in game one, allowing just five hits and two runs. The pitching staff, which currently leads the league in strikeouts, struck out 14 in this game while issuing only one walk. The offense made the most of their eight hits and five walks. The highlight of this game was young RHP, Austin Troesser. He absolutely dominated the opposition, striking out five of the six hitters he faced. He was one pitch away from an immaculate innings, when with an 0-2 count he allowed a broken bat grounder to second base. He went on the fan the side in the fifth inning for extra measure. This was a far cry from his last outing where he needed thirty pitches to get three outs. Today, he needed 19, for two outstanding innings of work. Game two of the series did not go as planned. We dropped a 6-4 decision to the River Turtles. This game we simply did not make the pitches or plays to win the game. The first batter of the game bunted back to the pitcher who flubbed ground ball for an error to start the game. As a matter of fact, the leadoff hitter was on base four times in seven innings today. Why is that a big deal? The averages tell us that pitchers, E,R.A( earned run average) is 8.54 with a runner on first base and no outs. On the other hand, with one out and no one on base, the pitchers’ E.R.A. falls to 3.54. Five runs difference is noteworthy and as a pitcher and catcher we need to know how important keeping the leadoff hitter off base is for winning baseball.

The majority of our pitchers and catchers have their pitches called from the dugout by the head coach or pitching coach while in college. So, many of them do not have a great “feel” for calling the game. This league is about development, so the young men are on their own during the game. Many times, I may ask after the inning ” what were you thinking when you threw this pitch in a certain situation?) This is a great way to learn. One gets good judgement from experience and experience comes from bad judgement. In today’s game, I took a lot of notes. My notes are written on the lineup card where the last out of the innings is posted and what the opposing hitters do each at bat. I also makes notes on attempted bunts and stolen bases attempted. We also note the count in which these events occurred. In this game we did not attack or execute pitches on the 1-1 counts. I know we wrote about the importance of this pivotal count. We also did a poor job of reacting to what we see from the hitter. I will give a few examples. The first pitch of the at bat is a fastball on the outside part of the plate, strike one looking. The next pitch is a changeup up, that the hitters chases out of the strike zone. What would you throw the next pitch? We chose to throw a fastball in the middle of the plate for a no ball and two strike, 2 out double that scored a run. If we react to the previous swing of the hitter, we make him chase another pitch out of the strike zone. There is rarely a set up pitch, the pitcher should throw every pitch with the intent to get the batter out. Bad location hurts the pitcher more than bad selection, on most nights. We also chose to repeat in the zone breaking balls for a long double off the wall. Let me explain. First pitch of the at bat, curve in the dirt, ball one. Second pitch, another curve this time for a called strike. What are my options here? We chose to throw another curve ball, this time a little higher in the strike zone. Bad choice but a time to learn, not because of the result. Repeating off speed pitches in the strike zone gives the hitters a very good chance to time the pitch and measure the break. Please, remember in the strike zone to under the strike zone, often works. We also threw another hitter a 2-1 fastball that the left handed batter hit over the third base dugout He was late on this fastball in a hitter advantage count. When we see the hitter is late, we move the ball closer to the batter or we elevate the ball closer to him But we chose to throw a high slider which the batter laced into left center field. Another, time to learn- for the pitcher and catcher. My last rant, which is pitching 101 Every 0-1 count should not a breaking ball in the dirt. This is an advantage count for the pitcher which is a great time to work inside to inside off the plate. The catcher and pitcher need to on the same page with this strategy. So, communication with pitcher and catcher is crucial. They should talk between each inning to bounce ideas off one another and get feedback from each other on the next inning.

The Boys are off tomorrow and I am headed to Cary for a steak dinner. Enjoy every breath! LG Flyboys.

Bring on the Axemen

The first home stand of the season ends with a two game set with the Kingsport Axemen. Yes, the Flyboys vs. the Axemen, sounds like a potential Netflix pilot. Kingsport is in Tennessee. It is 43 miles North, North East of Greenville. The city of Kingsport derived it’s name from the simplification of “King’s Port” which was the name given to the area by the early pioneers. The Long Island of the Holston River has a vast and rich history. It is a National Historic Landmark. It was the home of the sacred Cherokee council and a treaty site as well.

The previous night saw the Flyboys play an extremely sloppy game. We made several errors in the field and a couple of mental mistakes as well. The opposition was sloppy as well but were much sloppier. Pitching truly makes the world go around. On this night the Greenville pitching was not it’s sharpest. The staff worked behind in the count too often. Our goal for first pitch strikes is 60%. We did not come close to that expectation tonight. Early in the count, the pitcher needs to be aggressive. One of the first two pitches needs to be a strike 80% of the time. Tonight’s pitchers had several two ball and no strike counts, which is a recipe for disastrous performance. 69% of strike outs begin with strike one. Over 70% of walks begin with ball one.

Another emphasis for the Flyboys hurlers is to win the one ball, one strike counts. This is the largest swing count in baseball when it comes to offensive production. When the count moves to 2 balls and 1 strike, the hitters historically hit over .400. This a very high average, if you did not know. When the counts moves to 1 ball and 2 strikes, the hiiter’s batting average falls to under .180. This is a low output for the hitter. Those numbers make the 1-1 the largest “swing”‘count in baseball.

On this night we executed pitch after pitch. Our starting pitcher,

Conner Harris, pitched five innings and only threw 49 pitches. He averaged less than 10 pitches inning. The average pitch count per inning at this level is 19 pitches. So,’he had an absurdly efficient outing. He set the tone. We had two relief pitchers finish the game. We attacked the opposing hitters early in the count, we dominated the 1-1 counts. For the night the Flyboy pitches only threw 95 pitches in 9’innimgs. A great night for this pitching coach. We won a tightly contested game, 1-0. Game two of this series was postponed due to heavy rain. So technically we won our first series. Off to play in Johnson City tomorrow.

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.

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

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Velocity is baseball’s hot commodity .

Velocity in baseball has become paramount, necessary and much sought after. Teams from travel baseball, travel softball, to high schools., colleges and of course, professional baseball. The athlete is also chasing improved . Everyone knows that velocity has become the top dog, the big attraction. The data supports the fact regardless of what some coaches may be spewing out. Velocity is very important.

Following our velocity training, plus 10 mph!⚾️🌶

The data shows us that the average fastball in the major leagues continues to climb each year. Analytics has shown us that when velocity goes up your value as a pitcher goes up. The question is why is velocity trending upward, is it better genes, non GMO foods, what? The answer lies within sports worldwide. Why do Olympic records fall each year? Athletes are running faster, jumping higher, swimming faster at every world event. In 1954, Roger Bannister did the unthinkable, he ran a mile in less than four minutes. The four minute barrier is now the standard for those running the mile, over 1.400 male athletes have broken the four minute barrier.

I have been involved in professional baseball for 34 years. The standard for the fastball has dramatically increased over the years. Regardless, why are these pitchers throwing harder than ever before. Well, the first reason is in the strength and conditioning field. For years, baseball was slow to adapt to these principles, thinking pitchers would get too bulky to perform well. The author of a major league record 7 no hitters, Nolan Ryan, wrote that he used to “sneak” from the Angels facility to the football facility to lift weights. Sounds like he was on to something (this was in the 70’s), he arguably has the best fastball ever. I can tell you that when strength coaches were introduced in to baseball clubhouses there was push back, resistance. Let’s just fast forward, today every major league team has two strength and conditioning coaches, each minor league team has a strength coach. The training plans have gone from ” don’t get any one hurt” to an aggressive plan individualized for each player based on specific needs and the position each athlete plays. I used to hear the risk/ reward phrase thrown out all the time, not any more. It is all about the reward.

The use of pitching labs, wearable devices that measure movements, extreme high speed cameras have also aided in better instruction. The slow motion footage of an athlete throwing is more accurate than any human eye, regardless of how well that eye has been trained. The wearable monitors have helped researchers and coaches better understand how the human body moves most efficiently and most powerfully. Research has taught those people in player development( coaches) that arm action can be changed successfully and coaches must address this subject for athletes who want to throw hard . The new age pitcher is learning how his body should move during a throw, what each body part is responsible for and when everything should happen. Sequencing, is a new word for baseball but it can be easily explained to any 10 year old. If we ask them what did they put on first, socks or shoes? If they did it in reverse order- well that just doesn’t work that well, right?

Velocity is being taught, this is a newer concept developing over the last decade. If you have a young athlete, check the facts and program out before you commit. There are NO short cuts. Elite throwing is a toe nail to finger nail movement. Strength, power, range of motion and direction are necessary to get the velocity gains one is looking for. It also takes time and a commitment. Do not allow short term obstacles get in the way of long term goals.