How Do You Win a World Series? Ask the McCourts

Having the biggest, glitziest payroll in baseball is no assurance of participation in the post-season, as the New York Yankees discovered, in 2008.
Winning the most games of any team in the league during the regular season is also no guarantee that your team will get out of the first round of the playoffs, as the '08 Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels can attest.
So, if money does not conquer all, and winning the most games doesn't catapult you to the top, permanently, or at least through November, what does?
This is the question on the minds of every owner and general manager in the majors.
Frank and Jamie McCourt, who own the Los Angeles Dodgers, are concocting their own brew to come up with the right formula.
One thing they are deliberately not doing is emulating the Yankees in buying the best, big-name players at huge prices. They didn't seriously pursue Mark Teixeira or CC Sabathia, for whom the Yanks gladly paid plenty.
They willingly took on other teams' head cases such as bad boys Manny Ramirez and Vincente Padilla. One guy was reputed in Boston to throw slow motion tantrums, while the latter giddily threw baseballs at competing players' heads.
The McCourts scored big in acquiring manager Joe Torre, a virtual castoff from the Yankees. Torre, I think no one would disagree, did a marvelous job in '08 and is equally impressive in '09.
Ned Colletti, Dodgers GM, is an astute negotiator, acquiring Manny and others at virtually no cost in '08, and in refusing to accede to Manny's 2009 salary demands.
Equally important, Colletti and the McCourts have steadfastly supported retaining their young and developing stars, while using creativity in bringing aboard veterans that become available late in the season.
Sportswriters and fans might bleat that Dodgers management is too stingy and risk-averse.
I beg to differ. Having been burned by the large contract awarded to Andruw Jones, and having assessed the losses incurred by overpaying Kevin Brown, Darren Dreifort, and others, they're simply acting prudently.
Already, the McCourts and their management team are showing remarkably good judgment, which in baseball's executive suites, is a rarity.

2010 Demarini Baseball Bat Reviews By R. Nelson

Demarini's 2010 line-up of baseball bats includes some minor adjustments to their 2009 line. The new "buzz word" for their 2010 models is Silver Trace technology which claims to be a unique blend of carbon combined with the "Silver Trace" technology. They say it is a bonding agent that adds strength to maximize power transfer to the barrel. I'd say it's more hype than anything else but at least they're trying to make it seem like there's something new going on. The new CF4 is essentially the same as the CF3 with a slightly larger barrel and they've adding a new option in the low-priced composite category. They've also dropped the Vexxum which has been in their line-up for quite a long time.

Here are the 2010 Demarini Baseball Bat Reviews:

Demarini 100% Composite Bats

• Demarini CF4: According to Demarini the new CF4 Gold is their most technologically advanced baseball bat. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much change from the CF3. The handle is now "Pitch Black Plus" instead of just "Pitch Black" composite material and the aforementioned "Silver Trace" technology to the barrel. They say this adds 11% to the barrel length compared to the CF3 (so about an inch). It also has a redesigned end cap called "The Hub" that has a noticeably concave design. It's a two-piece double wall composite bat with a flex handle and a very low swing weight, although Demarini does not supply any numbers. The odd thing about the CF4 or CF3 is that most college players do not use it. In the 2009 College World Series teams that use Demarini bats, like Arizona State, have nobody swinging a CF4 or CF3. My guess is that these advanced players do not like the extremely light feel of the CF4/CF3 and are looking for a little more mass. The Adult -3 model has a retail price of $399.99. I still think the CF3 is a very viable option on the discount racks.
• Demarini Vendetta C6: This is where Demarini is using their brain. The Vendetta C6 is Demarini's first attempt at a second tier composite baseball bat. With the high cost of composite bats it's critical for manufacturers to offer a second tier model. The all new Vendetta C6 is a two-piece single wall bat with a flex handle, balanced design and Demarini's second tier (C6) composite material. The Adult -3 model retails for $299 which puts it in the same price range as the other second tier composite bats. This is a solid option in this category.

Demarini Hybrid Bats

• Demarini Voodoo Black: Two-piece single wall bat with a flex handle that features "Pitch Black Plus" technology and a balanced design. The barrel is the same SC4 Alloy as the Vendetta SC4 but it retails for an additional $50 at $299.99 for the Adult -3 model. This is by far Demarini's most popular bat. As mentioned, teams like Arizona State that use Demarini bats overwhelmingly use the Voodoo. The entire Arizona State starting line-up used the Voodoo in the 2009 CWS. The Voodoo is my recommendation for high cost hybrid bats.
• Demarini Vendetta SC4: The Vendetta SC4 is the same as the 2009 Vendetta model. It's a two-piece single wall bat with a flex handle, a balanced design and includes their "Rails Hybrid" technology. It has the same SC4 alloy barrel as the Voodoo. It has a retail price of $249.95 for the Adult -3 model. The only difference between this and the Voodoo is the inclusion of the Pitch Black plus and Silver Trace technology that's on the Voodoo. A solid option for the low cost hybrid category.
  

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One Or Two Piece Baseball Bat? By R. Nelson

It used to be simple; a bat was one piece of wood, aluminum or composite. How things have changed! Two-piece bats are now extremely popular and seem to be the trend for the foreseeable future.

Easton, Demarini and Nike have long championed the two-piece design. Demarini and Nike have held fast to this philosophy while Easton has branched out to make bats in almost all designs in an effort to appeal to everyone. They say the major benefit of a two piece bat is that it gives more flex to the barrel at the point of contact and, therefore, increases the trampoline effect. This should not be confused with handle flex (or whip action). Handle flex or whip action is supposed to take place before the point of contact with the ball, and the trampoline effect at the point of contact.

The one-piece bat argument long championed by Louisville and recently COMbat. Louisville claims their Triton and H2 are "bonded" together to act more like a true one-piece bat. They say the two-piece design results in weakness at the joint of the handle and barrel thereby reducing the trampoline effect or spring back. They're essentially saying that it provides very little resistance and therefore will not spring back as quick and hard as a one-piece design.

Before we go any farther, let's understand what trample effect actual means in the scientific world. The trampoline effect refers to pronounced elasticity in the impacting object (baseball bat, tennis racquet, golf club, etc.) such that it acts like a trampoline. It is also referred to as the spring-like effect because of the degree to which the object depresses, then springs back into shape when striking a ball. Here are the scientific specifics for a baseball bat:

• The trampoline effect in baseball refers to the elasticity of a bat upon impact with a baseball.
• When a ball hits a wood bat, it compresses to nearly half its original diameter, losing up to 75% of its initial energy to internal friction forces.
• However, in a hollow bat such as an aluminum or composite bat, the bat barrel compresses somewhat like a spring. This means that the ball is not compressed as much and loses less energy to internal friction forces.
• Furthermore, most of the energy temporarily stored in the bat is returned to the ball in an aluminum or composite bat. The energy which is lost in the bat compression is much smaller than that lost without compression.

So there is absolutely no doubt that the barrel flexes during contact and does create a trampoline effect. The real question is does a two-piece bat create more, less or the same barrel flex/trampoline effect than a one-piece bat made from the same material? And if so, does this increase batted-ball speed?

This is where the science gets murky because there doesn't seem to be any scientific data supporting or debunking claims that a two-piece bat produces more trampoline effect than a one-piece bat (or vice versa). Will someone please call Mythbusters!

So what I've done is try to look at this logically. My conclusion is that a two-piece bat probably increases the trampoline effect due to its hinge at the connection point. But, the increase is probably negligible and therefore won't make much of a difference. I've also look at what the top players are using to see if there is a preference. Most players on college baseball teams swinging Easton bats overwhelmingly choose the two-piece bats to their one-piece siblings. They'll usually choose the Stealth Speed over the Synergy Speed and the SV12 over the V12. They also tend to choose the stiff handle design of those bats. In the end, you're fine with either a one or two-piece bat as I believe they are extremely close in performance.

First decide what you want to spend, the material that's best for you, whether you prefer an end-loaded or balanced bat, a one or two-piece model and then the handle design. You can see more from my site, click here or copy this link into your browser and paste. http://tinyurl.com/mpwy94

What I Know and Remember About Baseball - First Base Reach By Mitchell Dowdy

It is a tight game and the batter is a known bunter. Third and Second baseman are playing in on the grass in anticipation. The Pitcher delivers an inside fastball. Just as the Pitchers arm is ready to release the batter squares around and shows bunt.

Third base crashes down to gather up the ball which takes a funny hop to the infield away from his glove. Not a good bunt as the ball moves between third baseman and the mound. The batter is fast and is halfway to first when the third baseman finally gains control of the ball. As he grasps the ball the throw the runner is now one third of the way there. He launches a frozen rope to first. The throw is off and low. Stretch into the splits the first baseman reaches and scoops the ball into his mitt as the runners foot touches the bag. OUT, the umpire calls as the ball was in the mitt before the runner reached the bag.

These are the exciting moments of baseball that get every ones heart racing. It happens in the brief moment between successfully hitting the ball and the seconds it takes to cover the distance from home to first. Yet, how does the first baseman know when to stretch and how far? Most of all , how does he get there? A newbie to the position will take a step towards the man with the ball before their release. True, making a step with the glove side foot is correct. However, the step is too soon as there is no information about the path of the ball to be caught.

Ideally a baseman will wait until the ball is released before take the step to the ball. From a comfortable position, feet should width apart, knees bent, heels off the ground, the baseman has plenty of time to make the appropriate stride to receive the ball. Being in a strong, athletic position gives the baseman the proper position to react as quickly as their body will allow.

To stretch before the ball is thrown puts the baseman in an non balanced position using weaker muscles. Think about it for a moment. Which is faster and under more control; standing and taking a step directly at the ball or being stretched out and lifting your forward foot off the ground to redirect your position.

Worse yet, if the ball is high, the baseman has almost no position or strength to make a jump to at least knock the ball down and keep it in the infield. It is a recipe for batter success to turn a tough single into a stand up double.

This method of tagging a bag can be applied to any base virtually 100 percent of the time where the baseman is to receive a throw for a force out. In all aspects of baseball, the greater the balance, the higher degree of success the player will have. Remember, comfortable position, tag foot on the bag, step with the glove foot towards the throw after the ball is in the air, adjust as needed to receive the throw.

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First Base Was Ole Oak Tree By Wiley Channell

Oh if I could be a young ripping and romping grammar school ball playing whipper snapper one more time. The first thing I would do is go touch that old oak tree that was tagged many many times for it was first base.

Some of the saddest things about History and the story of time is the passing of some of the grandest things of life like Ole tall Oak Tree standing lonely on some playground with the fun and laughter of kids at play.

The memories are met with sadness knowing today's youngsters will never have the thrill of making it safe at first base under the spread branches of Ole Oak tree.

There are some things which are so real yet they sometimes seem to have only been a dream. To visit the ole grammar school playground and look at the size and the features and you just wonder were we really here.

Those years fade and the school chums you remember have all gone to different parts of our world. Then so fascinating are their endeavors and accomplishments far removed from the pushing and tumble of our playground.

We the living human part of this universe move on to do things and look back with nostalgia and wonder did we really do the things we thought we did? The earth, ground, air and the trees stay and seemingly record it all.

The old hand pump water fountain with four 1/2 inch galvanized pipe standing like sentinels waiting for the next group for recess. The refreshing "iron water" flowing from their open ends are silent now no flow no cause. We have all gone.

Standing down there on the edge of the road like the "Taj Mahal" is our old oak tree yes, our first base. It never moved. It just stood there embracing us as we reached her safe and sound. The world has changed. Neon lights, interstate highways and world wars but old first base oak just stands waiting for recess time.

Never could we have learned this great game of baseball without a first base. We had the best first base any ball player could ever need. While old oak was first and still awaits another hitter, the third base has become a resting spot for a cinder block.

The double wide right rear corner is being held level by four well stacked cinder blocks. Now third base never had a nice budding oak tree to permanently mark its spot. Third base had to settle on being the granny hole of the marble playing.

One game of marbles was played using four holes in the ground. From the lag line the first three holes were in one straight line. Now, to shoot for the granny hole was going over to third base. The granny hole is a ninety degree turn from the third hole. It doesn't really matter for the marble players could only use the marble area when ball playing was not in progress.

The granny hole spot is where we placed a flat rock for third base. No complaints now for there is no recess crowd. Old oak tree still stands and awaits. Maybe the bell will ring and another bunch will come a running.

Not so old Oak, but thanks for staying,

Batter Up---Let's Play Ball... NOW