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Tuesday, May 6, 2014
It is time to fire the coaches!?
Right on guys and gals. Developing the players is their job, that's what they get paid for right? Wrong! They try and work with what they get from the farm or in a trade. If a player will not accept the hitting coaches help, there is little he can do to help the player.
He can't teach one to bunt, if he has never done much bunting in his last few years and says; "I am paid to hit HR's and RBI's, not to bunt!"! The same attitude arises when it comes to hitting the other way.
Pitching coaches are in a similar situation as the other coaches on every team. One pitcher I have respect for is David Cone, a very very good pitcher with a ++fastball when he first came on the scene. As we have seen with most other fastball throwers. He soon found himself getting hit much more as his fastball slowed down enough that batters were able to handle it better. He was (as many before and after) smart enough to know when to learn something new, for him...how to pitch! He changed his style and became a pitcher with his head as well as his arm. He learned what my Favorite Pitcher, Lopat once told Allie Reynolds, “Take four pitches – the fast ball, the curve, the slider and the screwball. Now throw these at different speeds and you have 12 pitches. Next, throw each of these 12 pitches with a long-armed or short-armed motion, and you have 24 pitches.” He neglected to mention what you would have if you threw them with different arm angles, overhand, three-quarters and sidearm: 72 pitches.
I have no idea how many of you saw David pitch with the Yankees, but one thing I do know is he was a real pitcher and used Lopats' advice, as given to Reynolds! We now come to CC and his fight to become a real pitcher. As our great leader always says "Have Patience", let me be one that says the same with CC! One can't change over night, what they have been doing for 20+ years.
We have a player that will not (or can't) change his style of hitting. He has been told over and again to get his left foot down quicker, but he still raises his foot as though he were a 30 year old kid. We also, have a player that cheats on guessing fastball and starts his swing sooner therefore, if it isn't a fastball...oooops!
The bottom line here is a simple one...if one is not open to adjustments, no coach can teach you a thing.
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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)