Catchers and Point Guards
November 7, 2008I’m watching the Clippers play the Lakers the other night, keying in on the excellent point guards that both teams have. Baron Davis for the Clips and a whole bunch of guys for the Lakers – Derek Fisher, Kobe, and Jordan Farmar. As I’m watching these guys, it really occurred to me how much the catching position parallels the guard position in terms of the tempo of the game. Unfortunately, I don’t think that too many catchers understand or see this similarity. In basketball, the point guard can either push the ball up the court or slow it down depending on the opponent, the game plan, or the situation. The same holds true for the catcher. How quickly he gets the ball back to the pitcher and puts the signs down has a direct impact on the pace of the game.
I was always taught to play the game quickly. Get the ball back the the pitcher, put the sign down immediately and get on with it. A whole bunch of positive things happen when you do this. One: the pitcher has less time to think (no offense to pitchers, but trust me, this is a good thing). Two: nobody knows how to play baseball quickly. By pushing the pace of the game, you take the opposition out of their comfort zone. Every hitter likes to have his little routine and it’s good to disrupt that defensively. Three: we’ve all become accustomed to three and a half hour games….why? How about a two and a half hour game? Your girlfriends will love you more and the coaches will appreciate you more. Four: by pushing the tempo, you keep your defense on their toes. It’s hard to play D when nothing is happening. How would you like to play behind Jon Papelbon? I consistently counted 45 seconds in between pitches with that guy. Not fun to watch and not fun to play defense behind. Five: bouncing around, hustling, and taking control of the game sets the tone for the whole defense, is entertaining to watch, and can set you apart from all of the lumps back there that just catch the ball, lob it back, stretch their legs and sluggishly move into their squat.
That being said, use some common sense and realize that there is also a time to take your foot off the accelerator. For example, maybe the offensive has just strung together 3 or 4 hits in a row. Take control of the momentum, slow it down, go out and talk to the pitcher and get things going in the direction that you want them to go. Then there’s always the coach-giving-the-sign-to-the-catcher dilemma. This obviously takes the control out of the catcher’s hands and has a huge impact on the pace of the game. Don’t get me started on this one. I think someone should outlaw the practice of calling pitches from the dugout for a whole slew of reasons, one of which is the pace of game. Maybe this can come up in our next election…let’s call it Proposition 3.5 (for three and a half hour games). Vote NO on Proposition 3.5 if you want to eliminate coaches relaying pitches to the catcher and causing games that last forever! I know that it will get all of the female vote. To summarize and bring this blog in for a landing…. if you’re a catcher or a coach, be aware of the impact that you have on the pace of the game and realize that this is a powerful defensive weapon you have at your disposal. Good luck.
Great article. I saw many 15 year old teams last summer and the catchers were wearing these wrist bands on their left forearm that looked like these things these quarterbacks wear with all the plays. They would look at the dugout between every pitch, coach would look at a clipboard, then flash a sequence of numbers or call out numbers, the cathers would look at the wristband and then begin to give a sign. I went to watch a summer league game and was thinking a root canal would have been more enjoyable; and if your going to give signs from the dugout why not just have the pitcher and catcher look and be done with it; or coach realize you had your turn to play now let the kids play.
The kicker was when I saw the 3rd base coach wearing the band and every offensive player wearing one and he would hold up numbers and the hitter and baserunner would look down at their wristbands; yes the coach got mad as the opposing team began to shout out random numbers from the dugout! Man, the game is passing me by…
Very interesting stuff. I’ve just recently gotten into baseball. So, I’m not an expert or anything. Oh, and just so you know this isn’t your sister just someone she found on the internet and found it was wierd we had the same name. She told me about your website so that’s why I checked it out.
Yeah the whole thing is nonsense. I know the coaches are gonna say they’re ultimately responsible for the wins and loses and (especially in Div I ball) there’s alot of money involved. But that whole argument is based on the premise that they can do a better job than the guy behind the plate along with the pitcher. The best pitch that can be thrown is the one the pitcher can throw with his heart…how can the coach tell that? How bout the subtle changes that a hitter makes in the box? Can a coach see that from the dugout? How about the unstoppable momentum that’s created when a pitcher and catcher are on the same wavelength? Can a coach create that with a wristband, clipboard, and scouting report? I say teach the kids how to play and get out of the way. Correct them when they’re wrong and watch them grow.
Wow, that is weird. If I’m understanding you correctly, you aren’t Chelsea Mayne my cousin but an impostor? Thank you kindly for writing in and visiting the site though!
Catchers & Point guards is a very correct and insightful. Take it from a guy who used to chunk a lot of badens and shoot a lot of jumpers on the hardwood. One thought I would like to share is this: catchers and point guards can change the pace at any moment to keep the opposition guessing. Rhythms are positive, but can also be predictable, so an unexpected slow down or speed up even when things are going smooth can make for greatness!
Agreed Chunkin’ Badens! Word on the street is that Brent was as good as anybody at reading those rhythms during the course of the game. Brent, you caught a lot of great pitchers in your day; was there one in particular that you seemed to get on the same wave with alot more than others? Also you were the last catcher to win a game as a pitcher in the Grande League, was there ever any cathers you saw in the minors or majors ( beside yourself ) that could throw the cheese from the rubber? I’ll hang up and listen to your comments off the air. Side bar: it’s your pick in the draft and your options are Simply Red or America, who gets the bonus money?
Tough to name just one….Saberhagen, Byrd, Lima off the top of my head. I’ll have to blog about winning that game, thanks for the idea. I couldn’t name any names but I’ve seen a few catchers come in late in the game…not in pro ball though….and I didn’t exactly throw cheese. I’ll take Simply Red by a nose.
As your back up catcher for the Long Beach Cardinals , I could not agree more. Now if we could just get coaches to catch on. My son is a soph. catcher in high school. He calls a great game in the summer and fall travel ball. For some reason High school coaches need to make every call in the game. How are the kids going to learn to use there brains , when every move is made for them. Hope retirement is treating you well and tell your Dad that the Bulldogs could not of done it without him. Please keep this blog going, You have a ton of wisdom to share . I am glad you are passing it on. Have you considered coaching. You would be a great coach.
JERRY ARNESON
Arne, glad to hear from you. Not ready to commit to a job where I’ve got to be on time! I saw my dad do the coaching gig and know the requirements to be good and I don’t think I’m ready yet.
I’ll be at booth 919…look me up and we’ll catch up. Happy Holidays
Brent, WOW great to see your book out there I will be purchasing it tomorrow. I have a son (soph in highschool) as a fresh he earned the starting Vasity spot as a catcher. I am the only one who has been teaching him but I am very limited – He is much better than I ever was – Do you train kids? if not could you recommend anyone. I don’t want his talents to be under utilized. We live in the OC.
Yup, I will do lessons. Leave me an email address and I’ll contact you with more details – Brent