Brent Mayne

The Healthiest People on Planet Earth

Ok, maybe this is totally baseball unrelated, but I’ve got to share my newest fascination with you. It’s with one of the oldest cultures on the planet – a tribe of peoples called the Tarahumara. I don’t exactly know how to explain this group so I’ll just give you some of the things I’ve learned about them. They broke off from mainstream Mexican culture about 400 years ago to live alone in the unmapped, remote Copper Canyon area of Mexico’s Sierra Madre mountains. Evan in their sixties, they think nothing of hopping up and cracking off a 100 mile run. Yes, I said 100 miles -in one pop. The phantom Tarahumara Indians are full of contradictions. They’re an extremely hard working people but, come down time, love to party…reportedly spending a third of their life either drunk or hungover! Despite their partying ways, health wise, they’re practically immortal. When it comes to the top 10 health risks to men – including diabetes, colorectal cancer, and vascular disease- the Tarahumara’s incidence rate is zero. Nada. Zero. Zip. No stroke, heart attack, cancers, no kidding. They live in a utopia free of theft, suicide, and murder. They sport a Three Stooges bowl haircut and wear nothing but open toe sandals for their 100 plus mile runs. These Indians live by a culture called ko’rima – the power of unconditional living. They depend on people volunteering water, food if they need some, shelter if they’re caught out, and help if they fall. They’re about 95% vegetarian surviving mostly on pinole (a corn/water mixture), veggies, beans, and the occasional meat. They smoke cigarettes. They love to talk trash when racing and love to bet on the outcomes. This is one thing that I especially love about them…they’re extremely technical when it comes to their running form, strictly adhering to a style that has their heads directly over their shoulders which are directly over their hips which are dead over their feet! Sound familiar? No? Buy my book!!! This totally supports my theory of better, healthier, more consistent athletes staying ’stacked’. But by far my favorite thing about these people is that they’re completely stoked when they run. In all of the photos I’ve seen of them in action, they have this huge sh– eating grin. I love it and hope to spend this next year living a little more Tarahumarically. Adios Amigos!

Fenway Magic and the Vinyl Solution

Geez, what a game last night. Tampa was a soft body blow away from KOing Boston and sneaking into the World Series. But like a great boxer, the Sox absorbed the punches and got up off the mat- barely beating the referee’s ten count – and came back to knock out the Rays. Cut me Mick! Never was Yogi’s saying “it ain’t over till it’s over” more appropriate. So that was the good part of the evening, now for the bad part. I hate to bring the mood down – but the announcing for these games is slowly killing me. Holy irritating Batman! Is Buck Martinez TBS’s version of Fox’s Tim McCarver? Why do these stations feel like they have to do this to us? What part of Vin Scully don’t they understand? Vin’s gotta have a price right? I mean get that man on a G5 jet, put him up in the nicest hotel, limo him to and from the games, make him an offer he can’t refuse – immediately. I’ll even chip in to make it happen. If he won’t do it I’ll settle for Krukow and Kuiper from San Fran, or Ryan Lefebvre from KC. Geez, I’ll even take Harey Carey if we can unearth him. Honestly, where was the turning point when announcers felt like they had to teach us every little aspect of the game? God forbid a little dead air happens. A brief moment when we can all enjoy the sounds of the crowd or the crack of the bat or the call of the umpire. But no, we have to get assaulted with the infinite wisdom of these guys. Jam it in. It reminds me of being in a math class in college where the professor has a captive crowd and drones on for the whole session about obscure equations. This is the same thing except you can’t stop the barrage of words by raising your hand and asking a question. How about an announcer who just describes the game and keeps it simple?  It brings to mind that conversation I had with Vin Scully – the one I blogged about a couple posts ago. In that conversation, I also asked him the difference between modern day announcers and ones from the old school. This was his reply – again in that great Vin voice. “Well Brent, today its all about the statistics. I find that modern announcers rely on them as a drunk would rely on a light pole. For support rather than illumination.” So true. He also went on to say that he approached each game as if he was painting a picture. His paints were the weather, the particular crowd, the ballpark, the teams, etc. and he has them all laid out in front of him before the game. As the game starts, he mixes the paints and puts them on the canvas and when its all over he has created a picture. He said sometimes it turns out great and sometimes mediocre but they’re always different and fresh. With McCarver and Martinez the picture is always the same…its the same boring portrait of themselves and I’m tired of looking at it.

Don’t panic, breate through your nose. There’s a solution and here it is… simply turn the sound down. That’s right, turn it down. All the way. You won’t get the sounds of the game, but you also won’t get hammered with nonsense. Me personally, I go for music. I’m a vinyl guy (a massage to my ears, unlike digital). Last night, since I was pulling for Tampa, I instinctively went for the Jimmy Buffett. Now if I were a Sox fan I obviously would’ve reached for a Boston album. Until we can figure out a way to get Vin to do the games, here are my musical suggestions…..enjoy. And I promise to stay positive and not bag on anyone in the next few blogs…I just HAD to get that off my chest.

 the obvious choice if you’re for the Rays. This album even makes me want to go to Florida…and that’s next to impossible.

 My choice for the early part of the game –  the Portuguese language is sexy and magic.

 Perfect baseball music…wierd, winding, mystical, and simple. Plus he’s my style icon.

 If you’ve just got to dance…

 What planet did these two come from? I don’t really understand all of this, but I’ll keep trying.

 They make me laugh. Solid new band for the middle to late part of the game.

 Same as above, super clever.

 Beantown’s answer to Buffett.

 Just cause he was the man.

 Never gets old to me.

 Bob Melvin turned me on to this one. Incredible stuff.

 Evil. My choice for the end of the game and the choice of closers throughout the big leagues.

LA bites the dust

Well, that was a debacle last night… not the prez debate, the Dodger game. Philly is just a much better team. Take Manny out of the LA equation and they’re an infinitely better team. They play way better D, throw way more strikes, put the ball in play more, run the bases better, their bullpen is better, they play harder with a better attitude… just simply a better team. Wow, can you imagine being Rafael Furcal, Blake DeWitt, or Chad Billingsley (to just name a few)? That was a rough game those fellas had.

On a positive note, a couple good things happened during yesterday’s game. One, Tim McCarver actually had a few insightful things to say, and I don’t know if it was just me, but it seemed liked he talked less (nice). He correctly pointed out that DeWitt took a great Martin throw too far in front of second base allowing Rollins to slide in with a stolen base (a mistake that cost the Dodgers a couple runs). McCarver also went on record as saying that he dislikes the way catchers today are standing up out of their crouch for high pitches. I couldn’t agree more. Varitek started it a few years ago and it’s an ugly trend. If you’re a young catcher, close your eyes when they do that. It’s kind of like bell bottom jeans – it’s a bad trend. I’m hoping it’ll pass. The second positive thing about the game was the catching of Carlos Ruiz. If you’re a young player, fan, or aspiring coach, make sure to key in on him when he catches in the World Series. This guy moves like a cat, blocks the ball as well as anyone playing, mixes up his stances nicely, calls a healthy game, and works seamlessly with his staff. On top of all that, he pushes the pace of the game and works fast. I’m really enjoying the energy he brings to the position. Young players would do well copying his actions. Here’s a sequence of him blocking a Hamel’s curveball that bounced way in front of the plate. Pay attention to how efficient and simple he is with his movements. His knees just go straight down, his back stays very stacked and perpendicular to the ground (not hunched over) allowing him a big blocking surface and giving him the freedom to move quickly off his knees to his feet to bounce on the ricochet. His body (unlike John McCain’s) looks very relaxed during the sequence ensuring that the ball doesn’t crash off his chest and go too far. This is solid technique and he does it about 15 times a game. Kids, coaches, and fans pay attention!

Congratulations to the Phillies, you deserve it. By the way, has anyone checked into the possibility that the Philly Phanatic and Charlie Manuel were separated at birth? Cheers.

Deep Thoughts

Here are some random but deep thoughts (does anyone remember Jack Handy?) on the latest in the playoff action. Who would’ve thunk it…the Rays snatch a couple in Fenway to take a 3-1 lead and put the Sox on the ropes. Is it something in the water at Long Beach State? What’s with the huge infielders that can really play. Last year it was Troy Tulowitski and this year its Evan Longoria. Whoever does the recruiting there gets five stars and a happy face. I’m sure if it was up to former Long Beach State coach and now super scout for the Rockies Dave Snow, they would’ve got Longoria too. I know Colorado had the 2nd pick in the 2006 draft, did they take someone else (oops) or did Longoria go numero uno? If I could write a note to Joe Torre, here’s what I would say…Joe, you have to leave your starter in longer and above all else, don’t ever,ever,ever try to sneak a 93 MPH get me over fastball to Matt Stairs. OMG that may have been the farthest ball I’ve ever seen hit to right at Dodger staduim – that ball was crushed!…Thats all. It’s so hard to criticize or second guess Torre…its like criticizing Yoda or something. I was happy for Matt, he’s a great guy and what’s not to like about a Canadian who swings for the fences every time up? Great matchup today with Hamels and Billingsley…both guys have similar stats, similar age, and similar experience, and both guys battle in my opinion. Hamels has the turbo change up though while Billingsley throws way too many pitches. Oh well, we’ll see.

Bean Balls

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about brush back pitches, beaning guys, the unwritten codes of baseball, protecting your teammates, moving hitters off the plate, etc.  First off, didn’t I tell you that it made for good TV? I just had the series mixed up. I thought the brush back action was going to occur in the Tampa/Boston series, not the Dodger/Philly one. Anyway, TBS and Fox are playing it up because it’s great for the Neilsen ratings, and as a fan you can’t deny the fact that it adds a very interesting dimension to the game.

So here is what I know about this part of the game. The first thing I know is that every player from the past will tell you that they knocked people down and drilled guys at will and that it was more a part of the game then than it is now. They make it sound like baseball was similar to the Wild West in that if you so much as looked at the pitcher wrong or took an overly aggressive hack you could plan on the next one buzzing by your ear. A real show down. This may or may not be true and it may or may not be true that those guys were tougher. I really don’t know, nor do I care. The reality today is that it’s part of the game and used as a tool for a number of different reasons. It’s also true that nobody will admit to anything because nobody wants to get fined or suspended. To preface all of this, I need to clarify the difference between a “bean ball” and a “brush back pitch”. Even though they’re closely related, these two terms don’t describe the same thing (even though they both basically accomplish the same thing). The brush back pitch is used more as a tool for pitching and getting someone out – as in straightening out a guy and then coming back with a slider down and away.  The pitcher is using his command of the strike zone to brush him back, change the hitter’s eye and comfort level by straightening him, and ultimately coming back with an out pitch in a different quadrant of the strike zone. Got all that? A bean ball is a pitch below specifically meant to hit the hitter (preferably below the shoulders). It’s really quite simple. Here are the reasons guys get thrown at:

1. The hitter (or the whole team) is smoking hot and you haven’t been able to stop them. Whether its true or not, it’s kind of baseball knowledge that as a pitcher, you’ve got to move the hitter’s feet and get them from feeling too comfortable in the box by adding in the fear element. If you hit someone, you hit someone, but the goal of this pitch in this situation is to cool off the other team’s bats.  Coaches love to preach this especially if they’re old and especially if they don’t know what else to say. There’s definitely is a kernel of truth in this thinking though. There’s something to be said about not feeling to comfortable in the box; however, pitchers get hit because they’re getting the ball up or not locating, period. This is precisely what you saw with Manny in Philly. He was (is) smoking hot and some coach got the wise idea that he was looking too comfortable in the box and the best way to cool him off was to knock him down or hit him. We shall see, but this thought process may have backfired and may well have been the momentum shift that the Dodgers need.  

2. The other team is cheating and you’ve caught em. They might be relaying signs to each other from the bases, dugout, or on-deck circle. They may be peeking back for location as a hitter. Whatever the case, unwritten baseball code calls for a bean ball.

3. One of your teammates received a brush back pitch that may or may not have hit him. Retaliation. An eye for an eye. This is the latest development in the Dodger/Philly game and the cause for all of the hoopla. Oftentimes a brush back pitch will lead to a bean ball. Maybe even a bean ball war.

4. The other team is piling on the runs or acting inappropriately offensively. For example, they might be bunting or stealing with a ten run lead. In rare circumstances you might see a bean ball for an overly aggressive slide or bowling a catcher over. Again, baseball etiquette calls for a ball in the ribs.

That’s about all the reasons I can think of right now. The other thing to mention is that the decision to use this weapon can come from a few different sources. One, the pitcher is smart enough to realize what’s going on- the situation of the game, the past circumstances, protecting his hitters, the game plan- and act on his own. This is the legend of Don Drysdale. Baseball loves a pitcher who plays this way. The second way it might happen is if a veteran player tells the pitcher or the catcher that it’s time for this action. Finally the most common source for this decision is directly from the manager.

 From a standpoint of actually hurting someone or trying to hurt someone, the bean ball is mostly hoopla. Most of the time its just boys being boys. It’s absolutely part of the game though – most often used as a kind of last resort weapon. The biggest problem with the bean ball and brush back pitch is that they’re volatile –   nobody can predict what the end result will be. It may accomplish what you wanted or it may bring the other team together and backfire. There is one thing for sure about all the drama surrounding a bean ball….people love em. They light up the Neilsen ratings, increase the interest in the series, and add a fun element to the game. I’ll leave you with a Neil Leifer photo of what not to do if a bean ball war happens and a brawl ensues…happy viewing.