On the Offensive: Why Hitters are More Valuable then Pitchers in Fantasy Baseball
When it comes to building your fantasy baseball team, either at the draft or in-season, there is one very valuable piece of information to keep in mind: hitters are ALWAYS more valuable than pitchers. Keep this in mind at the draft table and when it comes to trades. That being said, your particular fantasy baseball league will […]
You Can Now Play Fantasy Baseball Daily on Baseball Reflections
For those fans of daily Fantasy Baseball, you can now play here on one of our pages on Baseball Reflections thanks to our new partnership with FanSaloon.com! Feel free to challenge me or any of our other writers. It’s free to join a 10 team game and the winner has a chance to join a monthly […]
Baseball Pitching Tips: You Absolutely Must Use Checkpoints!
Making good use of checkpoints is one of the best baseball pitching tips anyone will ever give you. Checkpoints are very simply mental reminders that a pitcher gives to himself before every pitch. They are something that will help any pitcher be the most effective! Usually, baseball pitchers have about three or four and they […]
PRESS RELEASE-CARDS2KIDS
Got Cards? Trade Your New & Used Cards for Smiles! Do you have sports cardsjust sitting around collecting dust? Are you a mom who wants to get rid of your son’s cards, but doesn’t want to catch grief for throwing them out? Do you want to help put a smile on the face of […]
SMALLS TALK: Foul Ball Etiquette
Fans go nuts over foul balls. It’s how it’s always been and it’s how it will always be. Even if you’re hanging on the game’s every pitch, you can’t help but get mesmerized by a foul ball’s mystique. With each ball that goes up into the seats, we wonder which fan will defy the 1 in 30,000 odds and win the Foul Ball […]
SMALLS TALK: The Curtain Call
Just when you think a crowd can’t get any more hopped up, it happens. The hero that just brought the stadium to its feet pokes his head out of the dugout, jumps up on the top step, and offers a tip of the cap to the home town fans. And just like that, the steady […]
DUGOUT LINGO: “Cage-Killer”
Sometimes, you just can’t get out of the cage. We’ve all been there – you hit ball after ball after ball up into the netting above you. You try to comfort yourself – How far up is this thing today? – as though the cage’s location on the field was robbing you of no-doubt homers. You […]
Fantasy Baseball: An Early Form of Social Media
The year was 1992. I entered into my very first fantasy baseball league. It was limited to American League players only and featured a points-based scoring system. I was already a baseball fan but I was about to become an even bigger baseball fan in a very short time. I soon found myself watching more games […]
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. […]
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 […]
BBA Baseball Talk Podcast: The New CBA
Join us next Tuesday, January 31st at 9pm EST over on BBA Baseball Talk, a podcast that I host every 5th Tuesday of the month (once every quarter). You can listen to the show online by following this link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ivieleagueproductions/2012/02/01/bba-baseball-talk-the-cba or feel free to be part of the excitement by calling into the number above! […]
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 […]
How Fernando Martinez is a Fit in San Diego
The New York Mets finally gave up on a prospect that never materialized. Yesterday, they waived Fernando Martinez (maybe somebody can tell me why he and Daniel Herrera were classified as waived when every other 40 man roster move says the player has been designated for assignment) who has an arthritic knee condition that is […]
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 […]
Keystone Keepers: Fantasy Baseball Sleeper Second Basemen in 2012
Second base is an interesting position for fantasy baseball owners to be sure. There are very few elite players at the position (Robinson Cano andDustin Pedroia), so it is often a position that is left until the later rounds to be filled on most fantasy squads. As a result, finding a fantasy sleeper pick at second base can go a long way to […]
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 […]
How to Play Fantasy Baseball
The more I play fantasy baseball, the more I love the game of baseball itself. There is no better way to closely follow box scores, standings, player trends, hot streaks, cold slumps and the inevitable friendly competition which arises from trying to best your opponents then by participating in fantasy baseball. However, more and more I am approached […]
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. […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
Top Ten Fantasy Baseball Second Basemen for the 2012 Season
Image from Zimbio via Google Images Although most fantasy baseball owners look to first base and the outfield when drafting players to provide offensive punch to their rosters, there are some very viable options in the middle of the infield as well. A common strategy in regard to second base is for owners to forgo the position until the […]
Top Ten Fantasy Baseball First Basemen for the 2012 Season
It is often said that you cannot win your fantasy baseball league without a premier player manning first base on your roster. While this may not be entirely true, you may want to consider utilizing a top pick (or keeper slot) on an elite first baseman to solidify your roster. Whether you are in a dynasty league and trying […]
Baseball Pitching Tips: How You Hide Your Grip Is Critical!
For something that’s very important, I’m quite surprised hiding your grip isn’t talked about or taught more. How many things can be more detrimental for a pitcher than tipping off his pitches to opposing players and their coaches? Trust me. Players, coaches and managers will look for opposing pitchers that tip off their pitches! For […]
