Why Do They Call It Shortstop?

Happy Spring,

Shortstop duties Part #2

The shortstop will need to back up throws to third base on steal attempts. The left fielder will also be helping out on backups, but the shortstop is the best chance to cut down runner trying to score on an overthrow.

For one thing they will be closer to the play. The shortstop usually has a more accurate arm, and is used in making these kinds of throws. Being mentally ready and recognizing runners beginning to steal, gives them that split second jump to get into position to back up the throw.

It is the shortstop's duty to yell loudly as the runner begins to steal. So make sure to have the shortstop hustle over and back up third base, that's the best chance to nail a runner trying to advance home.

When there is a bunt to the left side, the wheel play requires your shortstop to quickly cover third base to take the throw from the pitcher, or catcher to tag or force the runner at third. It is vitally important that the shortstop get the sign to all the players involved, since this is a timing play. Straddling the base in an athletic position, allows the shortstop to adjust for an offline throw and still make a play.

Shortstops must also be the relay man on a ball hit past the left or center fielders. Knowing the arm strengths of your outfielders is crucial. You must be positioned as a relay man to make short accurate throws to the bases.

In other words, don't have your shortstop go so far into the outfield that they will have a long throw to whatever base they are throwing to. This is where mental preparedness will help your shortstop. If they already know that your right fielder has a great arm, have them set up where there is a realistic shot at third base. A relay throw that bounces to you is far better than relay throw over your head. These are all the minute details of baseball that are often overlooked by many coaches.

For an accurate quickly relay throw, they must receive the ball with your glove shoulder pointing toward the infield or base you are throwing to. The shortstop must catch the baseball, transfer, and throw all in one motion.

This quick smooth transfer will save you precious time to get the base runner out on a close play. Shortstops with strong throwing arms are an asset on relay throws. They can gun down base runners trying to move up and possibly score. When the opposing team sees your team has a strong relay technique, they won't be so aggressive on the bases.

Shortstops must also be very vocal on short hops or fly balls into the outfield. When your shortstop is certain it is a ball they can catch , they must continue to yell loudly to ward off your outfielders. If the fly ball has been in the air for a long time, the outfielder may call them off. They actually have a better route to the ball. They are also coming in, so if they hear the outfielder call for the ball, clear out, and let them have it. They have run a long way for the ball, so let them have the reward. They also have a lot of momentum, and we want to avoid collisions at all costs. That is why practicing fly ball drills is so very important.

The position of shortstop requires a special athlete. It also requires the coaching staff to have all the knowledge they can get to maximize this position. Do your best to study or research as much coaching material as you can. A well coached team is a pleasure to watch. That part is your responsibility.

Thanks for your time.
Coach Chip

Chip Lemin has been a promoter of youth baseball since they started using aluminum bats. That's a long time. I have witnessed many good people get into coaching without solid coaching skills and it is not fun for them or the kids.Today's newer coaches are also being shortchanged on sportsmanship, like there is none. Visit my site to sign up for a insightful, informational, free coaching e-course at http://www.baseballecourse.com

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Last night I watched the Colorado Rockies clinch their first World Series berth ever with a 6-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. And boy did the crowd go wild! Traditionally, Denver is a city that brings home championships. From John Elway and the Denver Broncos to Patrick Roy and the Avalanche, fans in Denver have become quite used to throwing end-of-the-season victory parades. But the Rockies? They usually are on the disappointing side. So, that they have finally made it to the World Series is definitely cause for raucous celebration.

However, during the wee hours of the night, after the roaring crowd finally died out, I began wondering whether or not the Rockies have a legitimate chance at winning the World Series. History is definitely on their side. Case in point, the 1976 Cincinnati Reds. Led by Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and Ken Griffey Sr., the Reds dominated the opposition in the division and league series. After going 7-0 leading up to the World Series, the Reds swept New York on their way to the championship. The Rockies, too, are undefeated so far and are becoming less likely to lose each game.

Also, over the course of the first six years in the 21st century, half of the teams who eventually went on to win the World Series were Wild Cards teams. To me, it seems as if the playoffs favor the Wild Card teams somewhat. At the end of each season, there is a dog fight to get into the playoffs. The team who gets the Wild Card is usually very hot at the time, having just fended off other would-be playoff teams. On the other hand, teams that win their division can sometimes be worn out by the long, grueling season, going wire to wire as the division leader. So, we can see that the best team does not always win the championship. Rather, the team who is riding a winning streak into the playoffs wins. Just ask the Angels, Marlins and Red Sox who were all Wild Card World Series champs during the years of 2002-2004.

Furthermore, the Rockies have team that has come up through the ranks together. Most of their current line-up is filled with young talent who, at one time or another, played with his teammates on the Rockies minor league team.

So, to answer the million-dollar question, can the Rockies pull it off? Yes, they have won 21 of their last 22 games. No other team in baseball is as hot as them right now. And the kicker is they have youthful talent and chemistry that is so vital in the postseason.

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Motivating young baseball players is always a challenge for the youth baseball coach. Many times coaches get wrapped up in the game and forget why they are coaching and don't remember to keep players motivated!

Coaches will get negative because a player made a mistake. Instead of You should talk to the player about what he did right followed by what ever error he made mental or physical and then follow up with a positive comment to close it out...commonly referred to as the sandwich technique!

Here is something else coaches need to be aware of when it comes to their relationship with their players.Coaches need to be prepared at practice get your stuff done with the players and then on game day kick back call the shots and then let the players have fun and play the game. If players are making mental mistakes then it is back to practice the next day and its the coaches turn to get it going. Game day should be for the players.

It goes without saying that coaches need to know their players different personalities and motivate accordingly. Some players need to be pushed harder,they need you to be in their face from time to time, others don't need much at all to keep them motivated, while some need just encouragement to get the most out of them.

I would say the number 1 issue with coaching youth baseball and motivating players is how they are treated by their coaches as far as the rules go for the team. I Can't tell you how many times I have seen players miss practice and no consequences for that player. That sends the wrong message to the rest of the team. I know this sounds too obvious but if that is true why is it so prevalent in youth sports. This brings down a teams morale more than anything.

Now instead of players focusing on the game their more concerned about the fact that a certain player is getting special treatment. In other words be fair and consistent whether it is your super athlete or your average player.

In conclusion when it comes to coaching youth baseball and motivation think about what you are doing in regards to your players and how that is going to equate on the field. let's put our best into the game and if we get beat lets get beat with every one playing at their full potential and nothing less, that is not a failure but rather a winning effort!

for information contact me!

Stephen K Reynolds is publisher of the LSR Unlimited "Free" newsletter which focuses on helping newcomers & seasoned pros learn the secrets to marketing in the ever changing world of the internet! He is also a youth sports coach in Western Montana. For more information on this e-mail lsrwealth@gmail.com

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Easton has been on the forefront of many advances in sporting good technology. It is a company that was started in the 1930's by Doug Easton initially because of his ambition to crafting better quality arrows made of aluminum that would improve traditional archery. Easton has evolved into a leader in making sporting goods because of their advances in the use of aluminum and that has carried into many sports such as baseball, softball, hockey and biking over the last 5 decades, all while standing behind the quality of what they sell in the market.

Years later, Easton dove into creating baseball bats and was recognized for their innovative aluminum baseball bats, a design that was introduced in the early 1970's. They have been the first to improve on new technologies every step of the way throughout the whole aluminum baseball bat evolution. Easton baseball bat makers have lead the way in developing baseball bats out of new lighter weight and more durable metals such as scandium and titanium for enhanced performance as well as using composite metals that are state-of-the-art as of now. Easton also played a role in introducing multi-wall technology which adds to the size and responsiveness of the 'sweet spot' on the barrel. Easton now produces a triple-wall bat known as the 'tri-shell' design and is the only bat producing company to do so. They were the first to create a two-part baseball bat when they started producing their 'Connexion' series, which gives flexibility to the bat for enhanced power. Easton baseball bats are setting trends for other bat making companies today.

Easton now supplies many models of aluminum baseball bats to guarantee that there is a bat out there for every ballplayer. They make youth, high-school, and collegiate certified baseball bats as well as an adult line. Easton baseball bat reviews are always more than satisfactory and the improvements on their products are made to improve your game.

Joe Rodgers is a batting instructor that emphasizes stationary drills to develop the correct mechanics to be a successful batter and offers a website outlining baseball swing mechanics.

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If you take a browse through some of the youth baseball bat web sites you will see youth baseball bats for sale at prices of over 300 dollars. They will also give you instructions on how to take care of the bat so it will last at least a year. I have 2 sons who play youth travel baseball and little league baseball. I have felt guilty before that my sons didn't have the latest techno bat out there. But as a coach and a student of the game, I have come to firmly believe that it is so much more the hitter, than the bat. Having a 300-dollar bat will not take the place of going to lessons, buying a hitting video, and using it of course, or just plain hard work.

You can learn how to hit a baseball well even if you are not blessed with the natural born talent of hitting. It is matter of work. I have seen time and time again, some kid with an old cu-31 alloy bat out hit kids with the 300-dollar unit. If you and your child are serious about hitting, do yourself a favor and go get some professional instruction. These lessons are for the parents just as much. I have learned so much from picking the brains of my kids hitting instructors. I also have learned to trust them in sizing youth baseball bats for my kids.

They tell me to have them hold the bat near the handle with their weaker arm and raise the bat up to shoulder height. When they can lift the bat up to that height with no problem, that is a correct weight for them. I had much to learn about teaching how to hit a baseball. There where old ideas that that had to go such as elbow up, and take a big stride. I had to learn its hands first, then hips. Baseball coaches have access to some great youth baseball, and little league coaching tools, if they know where to look on the Internet.

There is a free 7-part youth baseball coaching e-course that covers some overlooked topics such as travel baseball, and how to deal with parents, as well as running a good youth baseball practice. It also covers positive mindset for players as well as coaches. Sign up for it at http://www.baseballecourse.com

I know you will get something good out of it.

Thanks, Chip Lemin
440 465 3337
Cleveland, Ohio

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This poster shows the Boston Red Sox in celebration after winning the World Series in 2007. At the top it shows the trophy, the Red Sox logo, and Mike Lowell holding up the MVP trophy. In the middle it says "2007 World Series Champions". At the bottom it shows the scores for the four games of their World Series sweep. This poster measures approx. 24" x 36" The Boston Red Sox are a professional Major League Baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are also known as The BoSox (a blend of Boston and Sox). They are often familiarly referred to by newspapers and fans as simply The Sox. A charter member of the American League East Division, their home field is Fenway Park, which opened on April 20, 1912, and is the oldest major league ballpark still in operation.

Why do we pay money to sites? Simple.. We are very competitive and want to win in any fantasy league we are in. Besides it seems like the deeper one gets into fantasy football, or any other fantasy league, there is money at the end, and we all like money, right? I have been in several fantasy football leagues and have found certain things.

#1- enter as many free mock drafts as you can, drafting in different spots. This may sound silly but the more mock drafts you're in the better you will feel when the real one starts.

#2 Paid sites are nice but I have found several free ones that work just as well. Knowledge of the sport your are in will always help as well.

#3 My money site gave me a great draft, but then advised me to get rid of several players who were hot at the time(thinking they would cool off and I could get value for them at the time). Guess what, they stayed hot all year.This was not good for me.

Funny though, my first 2 years into fantasy football gave me 2 SuperBowl wins. There not real SuperBowls of course but to me they are. The next several years I bounced from last to fourth, using paid sites. I have found myself confused whether to use the free sites or the paid sites. After all, I was paying out money to these experts to win me a championship, or as I like to say, a SuperBowl. So after 6 years now I have finally got it all together.

Ron J Price writes on similar related issues. You can learn by visiting my blog
Fantasy football Views
http://fantasy-football-views.blogspot.com

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Well the big news of the weekend in baseball is that the Mets came to agreement on a long-term contract with star lefthander Johan Santana, thus finalizing their deal with the Minnesota Twins.

Santana and the Mets inked a $137.5 million, six-year contract on Friday evening followed by Santana's passing his physical on Saturday, completing the four for one deal which sent the Twins four top prospects.

AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick managed to obtain, in broad terms, an early analysis of the dollars-side of the deal for Yahoo sports;

Terms of the agreement were disclosed by a baseball official with knowledge of the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. The deal includes deferred money and a club option for 2014 with a $5.5 million buyout that could make the contract worth about $150 million over seven seasons. Depending on Santana's performance, the option could become guaranteed.

On Saturday, MLB.com's Charlie Noble reported a more comprehensive look at the dollars year-by-year on a deal which could mushroom, according to New York Times' Ben Shpigel, to as much as $157 million if Santana meets the criteria for a "player's option" to vest.

Santana sports a career record spanning over 8 seasons of 93-44, including a 20-6 mark in 2004 and a 19-6 record in 2006, with a lifetime ERA of 3.22 having never walked more than 54 hitters in a season while averaging over 200 innings and striking out over 230 hitters in each of his last 4 seasons. In 2007, having had a somewhat off-year, his homer count jumped to 33 vs 22-24 in the previous 3 seasons and his ERA leaped to 3.33 from the mid-2.70s -2.80s in the previous seasons.

I find both fascinating, and hopeful for the Phillies, the reactions of former Met Tom Glavine, now with the Atlanta Braves, as well as others regarding the deal.

MLB.com's Marty Noble reports Glavine's take on the deal;

"Obviously, this is a huge lift for them," Glavine said. "The guy is arguably the best pitcher in the game right now. They have every reason to be excited about that and optimistic about their season, but so do we. I think we addressed our needs really well, and I think we all feel good about our chances.

"When Randy Johnson went to the Yankees ... everybody was ready to hand them the World Series trophy, and it never happened. That's why you play the games. You just don't know what's going to happen."

APs' Fitzpatrick reported these comments;

"He's good but he's not unbeatable. He got hit around last year," said pitcher Tim Hudson of the Atlanta Braves, one of the Mets' chief rivals in the NL East along with Philadelphia. "We've just got to be concerned about ourselves. We can't be consumed by what anyone else does."

Finally, ESPN's Jayson Stark provides the enlightening take of one unnamed GM on the deal and on the Mets in general;

We polled 12 front-office types this week on whether they thought the Phillies or post-Johan Mets would win the NL East. Ten of them took the Mets. But one who didn't, an NL executive, was adamant that the Phillies have an energy and a personality the Mets lack.

"I'm talking about the way guys like (Jimmy) Rollins and (Chase) Utley and (Shane) Victorino play," he said. "Guys like that find ways to grind out wins. The Mets don't have those kinds of guys. Both those teams had a lot of guys who got hurt last year. But after the Mets got hurt, they didn't play the same way. Chase Utley got hurt and the Phillies kept on coming. To me, that's because that 'gamer quotient' was still there."

Further, it must be remembered that the Mets, as exemplified by shortstop Jose Reyes, gave up on ground balls by not running them out.

Offensively, they didn't have what it took down the stretch. And once one gets past Santana and John Maine, the rest of the rotation is one huge and aging question-mark. I'll stick by my Santana, Maine, three days of rain analogy and assert that the Mets will be looking up at the Phillies in 2008 rather than over their shoulders even with Santana's acquisition.

I would feel even better about the Phillies if they acquired an innings-eating, mid-3s ERA 4th starter behind Hamels, Myers and Kendrick as well as a capable middle reliever.

Mark Burt has been a lifelong baseball fan, particularly of the Philadelphia Phillies. Shortly before the 2006 season, Mark decided to start a baseball blog -- http://www.blogging-baseball.com which is now entering it's 3rd year online.

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