What’s up everybody?

My name is Coach T. I flat out love the game of baseball and hitting to be more specific. I have experienced it all, D-1 baseball, pro baseball, baseball in Alaska, and baseball in the Dominican Republic. Now after my career has ended I find myself teaching the game to players of all ages and ability levels.

I enjoy it because it is something I am passionate about, and like my Dad used to say, ” find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” So thats what I did. That is also what led me to create this blog. I enjoy hitting and love talking about it, hence the blog to share my thoughts.

Ok, enough of that, now on to the matter at hand. Hitting!

As we look across the vast history of Major League Baseball we see the history behind the game and the footprint hitting has had on it. Look back to the days of Ruth and Gehrig, when the train would stop on it’s way north from spring training just so crowds of thousands could watch their heros take batting practice. Look at the home run races, first Maris and Mantle’s race to 61, then McGuire, Sosa, and Griffey, and then Barry Bonds.

That’s why they have a Home Run Derby at the All Star game, right?

That’s why chicks dig the long ball, right?

America is in love with baseball. It is a game without a clock, it is a team sport revolving around an individual, each stadium is unique, it is the greatest example of a sport played throughout space and time. These are the reasons why America loves the game, its simple yet complicated, its the only game in which you can get simply a hit, for the first time fan, or increase your OPS by .02, for the avid fan. Besides loving the game, America loves hitting, it consumes us all. Everyone has an appreciation for a good hitter and there is something mesmerizing about a Derek Jeter style inside-out swing.

On each post I will try and add something sweet at the end either a hitting drill for you young “up and coming players” or an interesting stat that caught my eye.

Todays Drill: “Long Tee”

The Tee is the hitters best friend. It will never throw you a Curve Ball and it doesn’t throw 98 MPH. It allows the hitter to correct each aspect of the swing in a controlled environment. By lining the tee up in the full length of the cage we will be able to see the results. If you drive the ball off the back of the cage you know you took a good swing. If you hook one into the corner you see immediate results and alter the swing to perfect it. Some cues for this drill are: hitting the ball off the back of the cage, hitting the ball with backspin, and staying balanced throughout the entire swing.

Let me know if you want to talk anything baseball in particular.

Until next time, I’ll see you in the cage.

Coach T