Archive for the 'Baseball' Category
By midsummer, little league games across the country are in full swing. Venture anywhere near a ballpark and you’re likely to hear the crack of a bat and smell the tempting fragrances wafting through the air from the concession stand. Kids and parents alike enjoy carefree afternoons in the warm sun, relishing America’s pastime all summer long.
Most little league programs outfit kids with all the proper safety gear – batting helmets, catchers’ masks and the like. No little leaguer would ever be asked to step into the batter’s box without a helmet. The same rule should apply while practicing at home, where kids are often more lax with their personal safety and accidents can happen. By instilling your children with practical safety advice at a young age, you guarantee that they carry that knowledge with them to the ball diamond.
It’s been quite a while since the Mariners were a big name in baseball, but it seems that 2009 might be their year. While Ken Griffey Jr. hasn’t done a whole lot to contribute to the team with his play, his presence has given the Mariners confidence. The Mariners haven’t seen a lot of success in baseball since Ichiro’s rookie year, but even Ichiro has picked up his game in 2009. The Mariners are leading the West, and have a record that could get them into the playoffs. In Seattle, the fans have started to flock to Safeco Field in droves, bringing with them Ichiro baseball bats, bobbleheads, and jerseys. The Mariners have a solid infield, outfield, and bullpen, and an even better lineup at the plate. 2009 could be the Mariners year for success.
One team the Mariners have always struggled against is the New York Yankees. Whether it’s some odd issue of polarity between the different coasts, the Mariners lose to the Yankees even in years where the New York ball club is struggling. If the Mariners can crush the Yankees, it will be a good indication of whether the team has World Series potential.
Things were looking up for New York Yankee pitcher Chien-Ming Wang after the 1st inning of the baseball game against the Cleveland Indians on Saturday April 18, 2009, when he retired three batters in order for just the second time this season. But things were about to change for the worse in a big way.
The Cleveland Indians trailed the New York Yankees 2-0 when they entered the top of the 2nd inning. That score changed quickly and drastically, when the Indians scored 14 runs on 13 hits in the top of the second inning, which took 37 minutes to complete. Cleveland finished with 22 runs to defeat New York 22-4. The 14 runs is the most ever scored in the 2nd inning of a baseball game, and the 22 runs scored by the Indians ties a record for the most runs ever allowed by the Yankees.
The Yankees have six losses so far this season with three of those losses coming with Wang as the starting pitcher. All three of these losses were blow-outs. The Yankees are going to have to decide how long they can continue to go with Wang as a starter before they look at making a change. Wang has been struggling this year after missing the latter half of the season with an injury. The Yankees are confident that he can return to the caliber of pitching he showed in the first half of last seaston, but how long will it take and can how long can they afford to wait?
When you step up the plate, it’s important to remember that a fully swung bat can quickly become a dangerous proposition. If you lose your grip on the bat, you can end up really hurting somebody. Whether it ends up hitting the umpire, your first baseman, or somebody in the crowd, all precautions should be taken to keep the bat in your hands where it should be. Especially if you have a forceful swing, make sure you take extra precautions to hold onto the bat all the way through your swing.
One of the best ways to achieve this enhanced grip is through high quality batting gloves. These will not only ensure your grip stays strong and the bat stays where it’s supposed to be, but it will also help with shock absorption. When you hit a baseball going with a good deal of speed, it can deliver a tremendous amount of force through the batter’s hands and arms. If you’re wearing gloves, they can absorb some of this shock. If you’re going to be up to the plate all day, gloves can really take some of this strain off your body.
It’s hard to believe, but it’s less than 2 months until the start of the Major League Baseball season. Depending on where you live, you may have to wait a little longer before you can break out your baseball bats and baseball gloves, but at least we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
For me, it’s hard to get too excited about baseball until mid-May because, when I was growing up, that’s when we started baseball practice and we didn’t play our first game until early June. Besides, I’m a huge college basketball fan and I really enjoy watching the big conference rivalry games, so that keeps me from thinking too much about baseball this time of year.
But I’m still anxious for baseball season to get here because that means we can start doing things outdoors again. When you live in the northern half of the United States, the winters can get pretty long, and this one seems to be as long as any of the recent ones. But, before you know it, we’ll be complaining about it being too hot. You just can’t please some people.