Archive for November, 2011
Sox Can’t Afford to Give More Pitching than They Receive
The Chicago White Sox have announced they are offering Holiday Packs, giving ticket buyers discounts on four packs of Upper Reserved or Lower Reserved tickets. And in one of the first 500 orders, fans receive a White Sox holiday ornament. It appears that the ornament is Paul Konerko and the White Sox image. Too [...]
What Can Padre Fans Be Thankful For This Holiday Season
This (past) Thanksgiving (2011) there is plenty to be thankful for. Here at Baseball Reflections we talk about baseball and usually the world baseball fans live in is a bit different from what else is going on in the world or in our lives. Yet for some of us, baseball is our lives… it’s our [...]
Quality Starters: Top Ten Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitchers for the 2012 Season
There are two schools of thought when it comes to fantasy baseball starting pitchers. The first states that you should grab some quality starters early in your draft (or use keeper spots for holding onto them). The second theory states that starting pitchers are way too inconsistent and therefore you should ignore pitchers until late in [...]
The Import That Never Showed: Xavier Paul Signed To The Bandits Without His Knowledge
Determination and deception go hand in hand for some, willing to do anything to play in the Australian Baseball League. An intricate web of lies has been exposed, derailing a plan that was executed over the best part of a year. The result shed two MLB players off the 2011/2012 ABL season, leaving fans and [...]
Why You’re Wrong About Yu Darvish
For many years, American baseball fans with an eye towards the Japanese Major Leagues have been rolling out the red carpet for the Nippon-Ham Fighters‘ 6-foot-5 fireballer Yu Darvish. The NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) has a strange relationship with MLB regarding their players crossing the Pacific to play stateside. NPB players can sign with [...]
Valuable Off-Season Baseball Tips Parents and Players should Consider
1. With the Holidays coming, it is a good time to assess your child’s baseball equipment for next season. Do they need a new bat, glove, etc…? If yes, do some research so that you have a good idea exactly what brand, size bat they need and desire – remember once used, gear is not returnable, [...]
Which Side Of The Rubber Should You Pitch From?
I’ll gladly give you my input about pitching from different sides of the rubber but ultimately you will have to decide what works best for you and where you are comfortable. There are many baseball theories on this but ultimately you will have the final say because you are doing the pitching. Usually, but not [...]
Red Sox to Chart Interesting Course Under New Skipper
The Boston Red Sox managerial vacancy continues to be a search filled with intrigue. The team has interviewed a flurry of candidates: Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum (who has since taken the Cubs managerial opening), Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin, Indians bullpen coach and former catcher Sandy Alomar, Jr., Tigers third base coach Gene Lamont, [...]
Outfielders Choice: Top Ten Fantasy Baseball Outfielders for the 2012 Season
In most fantasy baseball seasons, the outfield is a prime source for all of your statistical needs. If you are in need of stolen bases, the league leaders were both outfielders. If you need power, 3 of the top 4 home run hitters in MLB were outfielders (counting Jose Bautista, who also qualifies at third base). The major league leader in [...]
DRSEA INFORMER: Volume IV, Issue 8
What’s In A Name? I used to chuckle when my mother would sometime look at me quizzically and ask, “When were you born?” My reply was generally, “You were there, weren’t you?” But as I continue to ponder the ongoing dilemma that Major League Baseball faces in the Dominican Republic concerning age and [...]
At Last, Local Baseball in Australia is in A League of Its Own
With US backing, the ABL is thriving, writes David Sygall Written by David Sygall A striking aspect of baseball’s opening night is the level of confidence emanating from the tight community of fans, players and officials associated with a sport that acts nothing like a domestic fringe dweller. And, it’s not just about mimicking [...]
The Red Sox, the Manager, the Media
As Ben Cherington, the new GM for the Boston Red Sox, completes interviews with all of the candidates for the new manager’s job, he and the Red Sox ownership cabal are faced with many considerations. The new skipper will have to be a master of numerous disciplines. In addition to executing Sabermetrics, the [...]
The Long Toss: A Pitcher Will Benefit Tremendously From Long Tossing!
The “long toss” is simply a throwing session where you start out fairly close to your throwing partner, then gradually increase the distance between the two of you. You finish the drill by then gradually decreasing the distance until you are back to the distance you originally started from. Many very good authorities believe that [...]
Partial Papelbon Press Conference in Philly
Former Red Sox Closer (since 2005 with 219 saves, most by any Boston pitcher) recently signed a 4 year (with a vesting option on a 6th) deal with the Phillies for $50M… Help support Baseball Reflections and buy me a coffee with PayPal!
Florida Man Shows Off His Priceless Baseball Collection
Dennis Schrader has a vault in his Florida home, dedicating to protecting his world record collection of autographed baseballs. Schrader has collected more than 4,000 signed balls. Help support Baseball Reflections and buy me a coffee with PayPal!
Mariano Rivera Talks About His First Baseball Glove
Mariano Rivera talks with Brandon Steiner of Steiner Sports… Help support Baseball Reflections and buy me a coffee with PayPal!
Uganda’s Baseball Dream
Filmmaker Jay Shapiro shares the story of baseball in Uganda, where love of the game transcends cultural barriers. Help support Baseball Reflections and buy me a coffee with PayPal!
How to Help the Baseball Player that is Extremely Hard on Himself
Baseball is a difficult game to begin with. Add in a child, who is very hard on himself when he fails, and parents have the recipe for many unhappy nights. This type child is often difficult to reason with and parents may feel like their child needs outside help. That may be true. First, parents [...]
The Not So Hot Corner: Top Ten Fantasy Baseball Third Basemen for the 2012 Season
One strategy many fantasy baseball owners use when assembling their roster is to quickly ‘shore up’ a player at a shallow position. If you are a fantasy owner who likes to use this approach, you will want to consider grabbing (or keeping) a third baseman in 2012. Going into the 2011 season, there were approximately 5 or 6 fantasy third [...]
Baseball Tips On Hitting: Your Front Shoulder And Elbows Are Critical!
Let’s look at several important baseball tips on hitting involving the front shoulder and the elbows, particularly the back elbow. Your Front Shoulder: 1. It should go straight into the pitch and toward the pitcher and NOT fly open. 2. The front shoulder must be kept closed until the swing itself forces it to open. [...]
Bernie Williams On Baseball And Music
Here are a few videos on Bernie Williams about his guitar playing, music & his baseball career. This interview was taken from ESPNRise.com Help support Baseball Reflections and buy me a coffee with PayPal!
Why Albert Pujols Will Stay In St. Louis
We heard it a lot. At the end of September and during every playoff series, we heard “this could be the last time Albert Pujols has an at-bat in a Cardinal uniform,” sometimes tweaked with the last home appearance. So much so that someone made a chart out of how he did in those situations. (Spoiler, not all [...]
Baseball Rocks!! Netherlands National Baseball Team: 2011 World Champion Torres Blues
Photo from Zimbio via Google Images As you can see on this video is baseball a fantastic sport to play. But watching to this sport is also great. Netherlands National Baseball Team is for the first time World Champion! Here you can see that “Baseball Rocks!!”. Enjoy!! Help support Baseball Reflections and buy me a [...]
Don’t Stop Improvin’: Tigers Seek to Plug Holes
The Detroit Tigers had a year to remember. The season can be looked at from different angles of both good and bad, but after reaching the American League Championship Series for the second time in five years the team knows it can get there again. The Tigers were one of the hottest teams in baseball [...]
Baseball Pitching Velocity Analysis
This video will show you the proper way (mechanically speaking) to optimize a pitcher’s velocity on the mound. They claim to be able top get the user to add 5 – 10 mph on their fastball in 16 weeks or less! Visit http://topvelocity.net for a FREE Pitching velocity analysis NOW! Help support Baseball Reflections and [...]
The Cardinal Conundrum: Where Is The Real Genius Behind All The Winning?
With Tony La Russa deciding to call it a career earlier this week, MLB will try to remember what it’s like to exist without him managing one of its teams. It hasn’t had to since 1978. As some reminders just how long ago that was: - Cardinals 10-time All-Star Albert Pujols wasn’t even conceived yet. [...]
2011/2012 Brisbane Bandits (of the ABL) Imports
Editor’s Note: The ABL is the Australian Baseball League, a professional league in its second season after a long absence. Kevin Jordan, Head Coach Kevin Jordan (born October 9, 1969 in San Francisco, California) is a retired Major League Baseball infielder who played for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1995 to 2001. He also played a [...]
Happily Ever After: A Tale of the 2011 Redbird Tribe
Once upon a time, there was a baseball team. This baseball team wasn’t the richest team, though it wasn’t poor by any means. It wasn’t the strongest team and it wasn’t by any means the fastest team. It wasn’t even considered the best team within its region, much less in all the land. [...]
How To Properly Expand The Strike Zone Is Critical!
Whenever you are ahead in the count, you should “expand the strike zone.” No, let’s rephrase that. You must expand the strike zone! That simply means throwing a pitch off the plate, that’s actually a ball. Or throwing a pitch too high or too low that is out of the strike zone. Let’s be clear [...]
The Rangers’ Bullpen Woes by Buddy Biancalana
The World Series that very few folks outside of Missouri and Texas wanted to see turned out to be incredibly entertaining. Congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers on an outstanding Series and season. The most memorable moment for me was seeing both, the exhilaration and anticipation on the face of MVP David Freese as [...]
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