All Entries in the "Columns" Category
The Future of Baseball Analytics – Cognitive Intelligence
I am a naturally inquisitive guy. In fact, the statistical side of baseball really appeals to me because it’s a direction to the path of knowledge. With more information and data, we can more appropriately get closer to a conclusion or at least a very sound hypothesis. Sometimes we sit and wait until the data [...]
March Reflections on the Cleveland Indians
Spring Training is supposed to be the time of the year when all teams believe they have a shot at the title in the fall and fans all over the country have dreams of watching their team in the playoffs come October. The only thing that could derail this is injuries to some of the [...]
Baseball Umpiring In High School: You Blew The Game Coach And Not Me!
I umpired an extremely competitive and closely fought high school baseball game a couple of days ago. My assignment was to be the field umpire and my partner was assigned to home plate. We had our pregame conference with both head coaches and they both seemed like terrific guys. We shake hands and we all [...]
The Burnett Acquisition Offers Optimism in Pittsburgh
The Yankees and Pirates completed a trade yesterday that sent veteran right hander A.J. Burnett to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for two warm bodies and some salary relief. Pittsburgh is expected to pick up $13MM of the $31.1MM left on his contract, and immediately be placed atop the rotation for a team severely lacking [...]
Bill’s Analysis/Book Review: Deadball
There’s a feeling that many get when they are watching the classic baseball movie Field of Dreams particularly in the parts where the main character is taken back in time when he doesn’t even realize it. For many, this is a feeling of nostalgia that is hard to find and certainly even harder to duplicate [...]
February Reflections on the Cleveland Indians
There just has to be a big bat out there somewhere. At least that’s what the Indians keep thinking. According to press conferences from various front office personnel over the past week, the team claims they have achieved all of the offseason goals they set for themselves except for one: finding a big bat to [...]
Baseball Tips: How To Focus On Three Things To Improve Your Hitting!
I believe hitters are way too often bombarded with too many baseball tips on hitting. The guilty culprits are often teammates, coaches, parents and occasionally even your Aunt Mary. Take your time and take hitting in stride. No pun intended. Try to learn a little bit at a time and you will be just fine. [...]
Red Sox Pitching for 2012: An In-Depth Look
Introduction This article is a follow up to the one published here on Monday, December 12th. In this article I will delve in more detail into the Red Sox current Pitching situation. Here we will break things down by talking about the current list of injured pitchers and the effect that has on the team, [...]
A Book Review: Jack and Larry by Barbara Gregorich
What do you get when you cross a successful Major Leaguer, one of the most historic teams in Major League baseball and an adorable dog? Author Barbara Gregorich answers this question in her new book Jack and Larry: Jack Graney and Larry, the Cleveland Baseball Dog. In this children’s book told in a prose style, [...]
New Online Baseball Training: Now Performance for Guaranteed Improvement
Combining physical, mental, and baseball skills are necessary for elite performance on the diamond, but how is that attained, practiced, improved and honed? There are trainers you can visit and books you can read, but they can be costly and time consuming. Now there is an interactive educational website that combines the skills needed to [...]
DVD Review: Baseball’s Greatest Games-Collector’s Edition
Looking for the perfect item to get your baseball fix on TV in the offseason? Well, you can stop looking once you acquire Baseballs Greatest Games. Put out by MLB and A&E Studios in 2011, this 11 disc DVD set will occupy any baseball lover for hours (29 hours and 56 minutes to be [...]
Cleveland Indians 2011-2012 Off Season So Far…
At this point, the Indians off season can unfortunately be described by three words: Roberto Hernandez Heredia. Before mid-January, those three words didn’t mean anything to anyone in baseball circles perhaps except for the man who was calling himself Fausto Carmona. As it turns out, when Carmona tried to get his new visa to come [...]
Good Coaches Take Nothing for Granted – Valuable Base Running Tips
“Baseball is a game of inches,” is an often-used phrase and nowhere is that more evident than with base running. Saving an inch or two when running the bases makes all the difference whether players are out or safe and makes a difference in the win/loss column. A couple inches here and there mean a [...]
Baseball Pitching Tips: How You Communicate With Your Teammates Is Critical!
I can write forever about the necessity of good communication for a pitcher with all his teammates. It’s not something that’s taught very often but it can affect the outcome of the baseball game. What can be more frustrating than losing a game because a catcher got crossed up and missed a pitch because he [...]
A Professional’s Take on More Women Umpires in MLB Due to Expanded Instant Replay
After reading the recent article on SB Nation by Wendy Thurm entitled, “Will Expanded Replay Lead to More Women Umpires?” I just had to ask my friend, professional umpire Ms. Perry Lee Barber what her take on this article was and this was her “classic” response to it! First, the title. Hilarious! “Will Expanded Replay [...]
A Case for Larry Walker’s Induction into the Hall of Fame
This is the time of year when the Baseball Writers of America (BBWA) submit their final ballots for the players they think are deserving of induction into Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame. Among the eligible nominees this year, Barry Larkin and Jeff Bagwell may have the best chance of being elected. But an equally [...]
Preseason Timing Tips for Hitting
I have seen so many kids season ruined before the season even gets close to starting. Dad or team coach takes player(s) to the batting cages and sets the speed at game speed on their first day of hitting, after a long offseason. It is important to realize that hitters’ eyes are not close to [...]
How Players And Coaches Should Deal With A Hitting Slump!
Very simply, a baseball hitting slump occurs because of something that you are now doing that is mechanically incorrect when swinging the bat or it can be something that you were doing correctly and now you are not doing it. In other words, either you have developed a bad habit or have gotten away from [...]
College Baseball Showcases – Good or Bad?
I am often asked about whether college baseball showcases are worth attending. In general, I answer, “Yes, if affordable and if the showcase is not an apparent money grab. Attending one or two is a good experience for kids for a few reasons. One, it gives player (& parent) an idea of how they compare [...]
Baseball Pitching Tips: How To Improve Your Control By Playing A Game That Is Fun!
Take a look at almost any inning in which three or more runs are scored and I would venture that in at least 75% of those innings one or more walks were involved. I teach pitchers that you must throw strikes consistently and I don’t care if a batter hits the ball into the trees [...]
The Interconnectedness of Carlos Zambrano’s Challenges
by Buddy Biancalana I recently returned from baseball’s Winter Meetings. Reflecting back over the three days, one conversation I had is staying with me. The conversation of which I intentionally did more listening than speaking, included Carlos Zambrano’s agent Barry Praver, Cub’s VP, Player Personnel, Oneri Fleita and MLB.com writer Carrie Muskat. They were discussing Zambrano’s challenges. [...]
Aramis Is The Wrong Direction For Brewers
The Brewers signed Aramis Ramirez to a 3-year deal today to play 3rd and fill in the gap in offense that the departed Prince Fielder left via free agency. Although Fielder has yet to sign with another team, it’s all but a guarantee that the slugger will land somewhere other than Milwaukee for the next decade. [...]
My Outlook on the Boston Red Sox 2012 Season
This article was originally posted at BaseballDigest.com on December 4th, but was updated for this publication due to a few transactions that have occurred since it was written. A Look Back at Boston’s 2011 Season First, they had that horrific 0-6 start which led to their 11-15 April finish and this was after being tabbed [...]
Braun Tests Positive, Could Mean Big Changes in Milwaukee
It was just made public that NL MVP Ryan Braun has tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and will serve a 50-game suspension barring an appeal. This is extremely significant for Milwaukee going forward and all but surely takes them out of the bidding for Prince Fielder as Braun will miss 1/3 of the season [...]
Arizona nabs Cahill and Breslow, send Jarrod Parker and others to Oakland
Billy Beane decided to essentially toss any hope for A’s fans out the window yesterday when he dealt young ace in the making Trevor Cahill and effective RP Craig Breslow to the Diamondbacks for SP prospect Jarrod Parker and two “prospects”. This move is significant for the D’backs as their outlook on 2012 takes a [...]
Dipoto and Moreno bet Angels future on Pujols/Wilson
It was reported two days ago within the course of two hours that the LA Angels had signed both Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson. By doing so, they simultaneously declared themselves favorites to win the AL West and pronounce them the “winners” of the 2011-’12 off-season. The buzz on Twitter the moment of the announced [...]
The Party Is In Miami
Looks like Will Smith had it right all along when he wrote the hit song some time ago “Welcome to Miami”. The Miami Marlins have made the biggest splashes of the offseason thus far by inking Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle to long term deals. Reyes’ deal is a backloaded contract to ease the transition [...]
Hitting Drills using Two Batting Tees to “Stay” Fundamentally Sound
Three important ingredients of a good baseball swing are staying compact, staying inside the ball, and staying through the ball. The following drills involve using two batting tees. These drills work on good hitting fundamentals and just as important, give hitters a better understanding of what those ingredients mean. 1. “High, Low tee drill” develops [...]
Are You Really Comfortable With Your Circle Changeup Grip?
You really have to experiment and find out what is the most comfortable for you when it comes to different grips on the baseball. Baseball pitching tips involve experimenting with many different ways to grip your pitches. This definitely applies to throwing the changeup. I would venture that 95% of all pitchers, at any level [...]
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, [...]
<--under the