March 16, 2009
I’m still digging the WBC. There was a whole lot of cool stuff to see in the Korea – Mexico matchup last night. For me, the best part was watching the Korean catcher, Park Kyung-Oan do his thing. This guy can really catch. He’s a bit older (36) but is very active, moves well, and is very entertaining to watch. Other than a lot of glove movement as the pitch is coming (which I’m not too in to), his receiving technique and glove mechanics are very solid. Check him out the next time they’re on.
By far the best thing Park does though is his “drop-knee” technique. What? You don’t know what the “drop-knee” approach is?!!! How many times do I have to tell you to buy my book “The Art of Catching”? Stop reading now and go back to the main page of the website and buy the book now. Buy one for you and one for your best friend. When you’re done you can come back and finish reading.
Did you do it? Good. Thank you for your business. So I was saying about Park’s drop-knee approach….even though I think he does it a bit much (just about every pitch), he does it the right way. I wonder if he read my book? Maybe they got Kansas City Royal games in Korea! I’m not saying he ripped off my style, but…..the Drop Knee technique has definitely gone international! If you’re a kid or coach make sure to watch the next game that they play so that you can see the proper way to do it and then add it to your catching repertoire.
Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of him, but here’s an image of Park Kyung-Oan hitting. Yep, he’s definitely a catcher alright. Thank God he can play the D.
March 14, 2009
OK, so if the drummer is like the catcher on the baseball team, the guitarist is the shortstop. Flashy, attention grabbing, the talent of the crew. Good hands, good looks, can be a little self centered. Here are my top seven axe men….in no particular order.
Jimmy Page (Led Zepplin) - Beyond. Technical authority and an exotic pallate. A dark, blues/rock god from another planet. May or may not be the devil himself.
Pete Townshend (The Who) – Violence, thunder, and lightening. The pioneer of the power chord and the original guitar smashing machine. Feet off the ground well over half the time.
Neil Young (CSNY, solo) - Imperfect, slimy, and honest. I love his raw energy and rusty sound.
Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead) - One less finger than the rest…a astral explorer who pushed the envelope.
Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) - Stinging, fingerpicked notes and rich, rangy, fluid solos.
The Edge (U2) - Winding circular walls of sound. Sooo much with so little. A master of the minimum.
Willie Nelson (solo) - it’s something to do with that old guitar named Trigger.
March 12, 2009
The latest addition to the Art of Catching podcast series is an interview with Rich Amaral. Rich played 18 years of professional baseball, 10 of them in the Major Leagues. To put it another way, he persevered through 8 years of minor league ball until he finally made it to the top. Then, once he got there, he stuck for 10 years. Amazing. There can’t be but a handful of guys who have tenure in both the minor and major leagues.
Rich played for the Cubs, White Sox, Mariners, and Orioles and finished with a .276 career batting average. He was an excellent all around player but is best known for his extensive baserunning/stealing knowledge. In this interview Rich talks about his long road to the Big Leagues and shares some of the baserunning techniques that make him one of the premiere authorities on the subject.
Once again, to access this podcast just go to main page of the website and click the podcast tab. In addition to finding it there, it should be up on iTunes soon under the title The Art of Catching. Enjoy.
March 9, 2009
I’ve always thought the drummer in a band is the kind of like the catcher on a baseball team. I’ve always identified with them. I don’t know why. Maybe because we’re both down in a sitting position, maybe because we’re both sort of the backbone of the team. Maybe because we both have to work so hard. Maybe because we’re both easy to forget about. Anyway, I like drummers and here’s my all-time top five favorites.
Stuart Copeland (Police) - Jazzy, worldly, reggae, rock, punk, – a creative fusion of styles in one package. Slim and whippy. So, so good. I hope I caught half as good as he drums.
Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac) - simple, clean, elegant style. Like a huge monkey behind the kit. When he’s behind the drums, he kind of looks like Frank Howard behind the wheel of his Yugo. All arms and legs.
John Bonham (Led Zepplin) - Power, speed, improvisation…an animal. If any drummer was on steroids, it was him. He hit hard.
Keith Moon (The Who) - I’m not normally into busy drummers, but he’s the exception. All over the place but rock solid. Kind of the drumming equivalent of Tony Pena catching. A joyous, savage, hotel room destroyer.
Larry Mullen Jr. (U2) - unique military style makes me want to stand up and revolt or dance…or some combination of the two. All business. He drums the way Mike Matheny caught.
March 8, 2009
I’m having a lot of fun watching the World Baseball Classic. Right now I’m seeing the South African team play Cuba. Cuba is good. They’ve already hit about 6 home runs and they play a really interesting style of ball. I love watching the freewheeling Cubans. The swings, the fielding techniques, the windups, and the catching stances. Slick.
In this WBC, I’m also seeing a lot of the players from different countries that I coached at the MLB European Academy. A lot of the coaches too. It looks like big Lee Smith is the pitching coach for the South African team. Looks like fun. I wonder if he gets paid. Maybe I could be the skipper for the New Zealand team. Wait, do they have a New Zealand team?
The amazing thing to me is how many good players have emerged from countries like South Africa, Australia, the Netherlands, and many others. It’s neat to see just how far the game has progressed outside the borders of America, the Asian countries, and the Latin countries. The Netherlands upsetting the Dominican Republic? Are you kidding me? The rest of the world is catching up. I’m not sure if they’re totally responsible, but Major League Baseball has done an excellent job of promoting the game throughout the world. The high quality of play is definitely testament to MLB’s hard work.
I hope you’re getting a chance to check out the future of the game. Enjoy.
