Survey says 74% of single women view baseball games as a great way to meet men
A survey of over 8,500 singles, found that over 2/3 of women, but only half of men think a baseball game is a good place to take a date. What's more, nearly 3/4 (74%) of women think a baseball game is a good place to meet men.
However, if going to a game is part of your dating repertoire, leave the cell phone at home. 38% of men responded that they find talking on cell phones more annoying than complaining about the seats (33%) or acting completely uninterested in the game (28%).
If you've met someone you like, going to a sporting event can be a great idea for a date – it's a fun and casual atmosphere, you're outdoors and it's an activity that you both enjoy, however, the length of a game does not make it appropriate for the first date. It's Just Lunch recommends lunch or a drink after work for first dates.
Why do men and women get along so well at games? Men are accepting when it comes to not being there for the last out; 77% said they would understand if their date wanted to leave a game early.
The survey also revealed that 90% of women brush up on baseball fundamentals before games, either by reading the sports page (31%), learning the names of key players (30%), or making sure they understand the rules of the game (29%).
Chivalry is not dead, at least among baseball fans. 84% of men said if they caught a ball in the stands, they would give it to their date; although 5% of men would rather make some money than be chivalrous and sell the baseball on ebay.
As far as the players themselves, who would women most like to date? 40% of single women believe Derek Jeter is the sexiest baseball player.
The infield takes the prize for the sexiest positions: 54% find the pitcher to be the sexiest; 32% think shortstops are sexier. Sorry outfield, only 8% of respondents found you the sexiest.
Additional survey highlights:
· 31% of men think 9 innings is too long, 7 innings would be better, compared to the vast majority of women (85%) who think 9 innings is about right.
· 67% of men feel scoreboard marriage proposals are too public or embarrassing, while 32% of women think they are romantic and sweet.
· If singles had great seats for Opening Day, 37% of men would take someone they want to ask out on a first date, while 29% of women would take a colleague and 13% would take their dad.
· 41% of women are okay with their significant other watching 1 game a week; with 26% saying 2-3 games a week is enough, although 8% of women won't even consider dating someone who watches sports all the time.
· Nearly 1/3 of women have gone to a sports bar solely to meet men.
· Baseball players are cuter than basketball and football players according to 37% of female singles. 7% thought it was because they sweat less.
· The sexes agree. 51% of singles think the New York Yankees are the best looking American League team. As for the National League, 33% of women think the Chicago Cubs are the most attractive team.
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Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Tips on Becoming the Baseball Player You Want to Be
If you want to become a baseball player that you want yourself to be, you should know how to set your heart and your goal into it. You need to define a more concrete way of doing things and you will really achieve that goal. You only need to believe not only in yourself but also in what you do. There are a lot of things you can do to become the baseball player that you really wanted to be and here we will mention few.
Before heading out to the field, take time to sit down and relax first. Think about how you want your baseball career be in ten years time. Do you only want this at the moment or do you want it to continue until it becomes your primary career. It really would make a big difference if you want this to be a full time career or you only want this for fun until you are done in your school. You need to make a clear-cut definition of what you really want. It is sometimes necessary to write down the things you want to do for you to be able to think about it more clearly. There are many things you can achieve by clearly defining your goals first. If you want to become a pitcher for that matter then you need to define this.
The next thing you can do is think about what you can do as a pitcher and what the abilities you already have for this position are. If you are not a pitcher to start with, then you will have a hard time to achieve this. Develop your potential. Discover where and what position you really excel. Don't just go into the battle field without even knowing what kind of abilities you have to defeat your opponent, before long, you'd be up against yourself for that matter. You need to know what position you most likely will have success with proper training and practice.
If you already know the best position you can have is the pitcher position then it is time for you to define what you really want as a pitcher. Your hand flexibility and accuracy of pitch are two major things you need to possess. Being a pitcher is a major role and should be played correctly. It is the number one defense of your team. The more accurate your pitch is the better will be your coordination with your catcher. If you have the proper coordination with your catcher, this will become the best defense you got against your opponent. You need to focus and do your own thing once you got to your pitcher's plate. If your fast ball only got 98 mph then make it a hundred but that is only when you still can control the ball. You can't just throw in a ball and let it be just like that. You need to have control over the ball or else you will only end the game in disaster. If you already have the skills then improve them. The only best thing you can do is to train until you master and excel in all that you do.
Before heading out to the field, take time to sit down and relax first. Think about how you want your baseball career be in ten years time. Do you only want this at the moment or do you want it to continue until it becomes your primary career. It really would make a big difference if you want this to be a full time career or you only want this for fun until you are done in your school. You need to make a clear-cut definition of what you really want. It is sometimes necessary to write down the things you want to do for you to be able to think about it more clearly. There are many things you can achieve by clearly defining your goals first. If you want to become a pitcher for that matter then you need to define this.
The next thing you can do is think about what you can do as a pitcher and what the abilities you already have for this position are. If you are not a pitcher to start with, then you will have a hard time to achieve this. Develop your potential. Discover where and what position you really excel. Don't just go into the battle field without even knowing what kind of abilities you have to defeat your opponent, before long, you'd be up against yourself for that matter. You need to know what position you most likely will have success with proper training and practice.
If you already know the best position you can have is the pitcher position then it is time for you to define what you really want as a pitcher. Your hand flexibility and accuracy of pitch are two major things you need to possess. Being a pitcher is a major role and should be played correctly. It is the number one defense of your team. The more accurate your pitch is the better will be your coordination with your catcher. If you have the proper coordination with your catcher, this will become the best defense you got against your opponent. You need to focus and do your own thing once you got to your pitcher's plate. If your fast ball only got 98 mph then make it a hundred but that is only when you still can control the ball. You can't just throw in a ball and let it be just like that. You need to have control over the ball or else you will only end the game in disaster. If you already have the skills then improve them. The only best thing you can do is to train until you master and excel in all that you do.
The Year of the Champions - 1961
Baseball is still one of the best sports to watch. The pace lets you read the newspaper between batters, get up for a cold frosty beverage, or just drift back into times past to one's own days of glory on the fields of dreams. As I watched the game the other night, I couldn't help but drift back to the year 1961. It was a unique year in more ways than being able to turn it upside down and still be "The Same Thing." (Try it. 1961. 1961. See?).
Anyway, that was the year of the one and only championship season of my youth, when my St. Jerome Tigers baseball team became St. Louis Catholic Youth Council City Champions. It can be said that it was certainly a defining moment in the life of this kid.
We had won our Crusader division league title against the likes of traditional neighborhood powers St. Pius X and Our Lady of Good Counsel. They were teams from vibrant parishes that were established in what once were corn fields north of the Greater St. Louis area. The post-war baby boom was causing homebuilding to explode in those days. And since the churches and schools were right in the middle of the new subdivisions, a great number of settlers were of the Catholic persuasion. Our group of kids were rookies to post-season play, even after playing baseball since first grade. Most of our games were played on the scrap-hard grounds of Bissel Hills Park or Hickey Park down in the City. So we were unprepared when our first playoff game was set to be played on a well-groomed city park. We showed up at the main field of Fairgrounds Park, rubber spiked shoes slung over our shoulders, in view of grandstands ten rows high and a pay gate! Tarps were strung around the fences to give the field a stadium effect. People were actually going to have to pay to see us play! I recall feeling like we'd somehow moved up into another world overnight. As I write this, I can recall the feel of the sun over the first base dugout, burning into my face as I crouched at shortstop. I can see the swirl of dust behind home plate. I can hear the crack of the bat, and the crunch of my spikes across the dirt. I can remember fielding the ball to my right and making the long throw from the hole to first. It's like it happened yesterday. We won that game against St. Thomas More. A kid whom I was to call a high school teammate with was on that team. Call it irony.
Our next game held a thrill that few of us could wrap our minds around.
Our little gang was about to enter baseball heaven, 1961 style, as the next two games were slotted for Busch Stadium. This, of course, was the old yard on Grand and Dodier, the former Sportsman's Park, the playground of Stan the Man, Ducky Medwick, Dizzy Dean, and my favorite, Kenny Boyer.
Two diamonds were set up on the outfield grass, with the home plates put at third and first base. Our opponent in the semifinal was St. Ann's from Normandy. Turns out, their starting pitcher was a boy whom I would meet in high school. Even more irony. I don't remember the score but I got two hits and we won. The next Saturday, we were to play for the championship.
That game has been in my head for all of these years since. There we were, a bunch of sixth graders, sitting in the same dugout that our heroes used. A warm late summer sun streamed down on our "field of dreams". I hit lead-off that day. I recall getting on base and scoring twice. I can't remember who we played, but I do know that it was a tight game, where every pitch counted.
The drama carried into the last inning, with us boys from the north side holding a slight one run edge. Their first batter struck out. Then the next guy doubled. Our pitcher was humming that old pea all day long, and got a big strikeout. Two outs, tying run on second, winning run at the plate. The pitcher came inside with a fastball. Up rose the ball, drifting behind third, spinning fair. It was like one of those seeing-eye pop-ups, you know--the kind that always seems to find that empty square of turf nobody can get to? But I was able to slide over and get under the quickly descending sphere.
Anyway, that was the year of the one and only championship season of my youth, when my St. Jerome Tigers baseball team became St. Louis Catholic Youth Council City Champions. It can be said that it was certainly a defining moment in the life of this kid.
We had won our Crusader division league title against the likes of traditional neighborhood powers St. Pius X and Our Lady of Good Counsel. They were teams from vibrant parishes that were established in what once were corn fields north of the Greater St. Louis area. The post-war baby boom was causing homebuilding to explode in those days. And since the churches and schools were right in the middle of the new subdivisions, a great number of settlers were of the Catholic persuasion. Our group of kids were rookies to post-season play, even after playing baseball since first grade. Most of our games were played on the scrap-hard grounds of Bissel Hills Park or Hickey Park down in the City. So we were unprepared when our first playoff game was set to be played on a well-groomed city park. We showed up at the main field of Fairgrounds Park, rubber spiked shoes slung over our shoulders, in view of grandstands ten rows high and a pay gate! Tarps were strung around the fences to give the field a stadium effect. People were actually going to have to pay to see us play! I recall feeling like we'd somehow moved up into another world overnight. As I write this, I can recall the feel of the sun over the first base dugout, burning into my face as I crouched at shortstop. I can see the swirl of dust behind home plate. I can hear the crack of the bat, and the crunch of my spikes across the dirt. I can remember fielding the ball to my right and making the long throw from the hole to first. It's like it happened yesterday. We won that game against St. Thomas More. A kid whom I was to call a high school teammate with was on that team. Call it irony.
Our next game held a thrill that few of us could wrap our minds around.
Our little gang was about to enter baseball heaven, 1961 style, as the next two games were slotted for Busch Stadium. This, of course, was the old yard on Grand and Dodier, the former Sportsman's Park, the playground of Stan the Man, Ducky Medwick, Dizzy Dean, and my favorite, Kenny Boyer.
Two diamonds were set up on the outfield grass, with the home plates put at third and first base. Our opponent in the semifinal was St. Ann's from Normandy. Turns out, their starting pitcher was a boy whom I would meet in high school. Even more irony. I don't remember the score but I got two hits and we won. The next Saturday, we were to play for the championship.
That game has been in my head for all of these years since. There we were, a bunch of sixth graders, sitting in the same dugout that our heroes used. A warm late summer sun streamed down on our "field of dreams". I hit lead-off that day. I recall getting on base and scoring twice. I can't remember who we played, but I do know that it was a tight game, where every pitch counted.
The drama carried into the last inning, with us boys from the north side holding a slight one run edge. Their first batter struck out. Then the next guy doubled. Our pitcher was humming that old pea all day long, and got a big strikeout. Two outs, tying run on second, winning run at the plate. The pitcher came inside with a fastball. Up rose the ball, drifting behind third, spinning fair. It was like one of those seeing-eye pop-ups, you know--the kind that always seems to find that empty square of turf nobody can get to? But I was able to slide over and get under the quickly descending sphere.
The Art of Pitching a Baseball
What does Mariano Rivera and a Ferrari have in common? Well it is an easy one if you think about it. They both have no problem dialing it up to 95 MPH. Just a little brain teaser before we get started today. Today we are going to talk about pitching.
First I would like to talk about what you have to do before you even step on the mound. I always have my players make sure that their body and arm is in shape before they even think of stepping on to the mound. I like for them to throw several long toss sessions before throwing off the mound and I would advise you to do the same.
Once your arm and body are in shape and your ready to step on the mound your goal should be to work on location and mechanics. You don't want to get on the mound and start reaching back and throwing your hardest. You want to make sure your hitting your spots, your mechanics are good. Good mechanics can add 3-5 MPH on your fastball.
Mechanics start with your legs. Your legs should be very strong if you want to be a good pitcher. A pitcher with weak legs will have arm problems. Once a pitchers legs get tired they tend to drag their arm, and that can cause injury to the arm. So remember to work out those legs.
Ok so you just got done throwing a bullpen session and your thinking what should I do now. Well get your running shoes on because it is time to start running some poles. You want to run because it will get your blood flowing through your body and it will help prevent stiffness and soreness. Next you want to ice for about 15 minutes.
First I would like to talk about what you have to do before you even step on the mound. I always have my players make sure that their body and arm is in shape before they even think of stepping on to the mound. I like for them to throw several long toss sessions before throwing off the mound and I would advise you to do the same.
Once your arm and body are in shape and your ready to step on the mound your goal should be to work on location and mechanics. You don't want to get on the mound and start reaching back and throwing your hardest. You want to make sure your hitting your spots, your mechanics are good. Good mechanics can add 3-5 MPH on your fastball.
Mechanics start with your legs. Your legs should be very strong if you want to be a good pitcher. A pitcher with weak legs will have arm problems. Once a pitchers legs get tired they tend to drag their arm, and that can cause injury to the arm. So remember to work out those legs.
Ok so you just got done throwing a bullpen session and your thinking what should I do now. Well get your running shoes on because it is time to start running some poles. You want to run because it will get your blood flowing through your body and it will help prevent stiffness and soreness. Next you want to ice for about 15 minutes.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
How To Increase Your Fun In Playing Fantasy Baseball
In 1986, while working at KCBS-TV, Channel 2 in Los Angeles, California, my newsroom buddies and I made up a "fantasy" basketball game, drafting a bunch of NBA players, using their real life stats and vying for the title of best basketball owner in our workplace. However, because baseball was my favorite sport, I remember saying to the guys in my league, "It's too bad we couldn't figure out how to do this with baseball!" Well, wouldn't you know it, the power of suggestion kicked in, and the very next weekend after saying that, I was browsing through a bookstore in the mall and found a book entitled "Rotisserie Baseball". I took it off the shelf immediately, and read the whole thing while still in the bookstore. I was hooked. I purchased the book, took it home, and the following Monday at work announced to my guys, "Hey, I know how to do this now for baseball."
For the past two decades, I've been having the time of my life as commissioner of many different types of fantasy baseball leagues. Expanding from the "classic" version of roto-ball...you know, using those original 8 statistical categories, to a full-blown version of playing a 162 game schedule of head-to-head competition in a league of eighteen teams, waking up every morning to daily standings and box scores generated by our fantasy players using real life statistics.
Are you a fantasy baseball player? If not, would you like to be? If you are, are you completely satisfied with the way your final results and league champions are determined? Are you looking for new challenges in your game? Do you have the courage...and the skill...to take it to the next level? I believe all versions of the game are great. If you're having fun playing your own type of "Hot Stove" baseball, then that's all that really matters. Of course, if there are ways to boost your fun to much higher levels, and you just aren't aware of how to do so, you may not know what you're missing.
Using the classic eight categories of Batting Avg., Home Runs, RBIs, Stolen Bases (for hitters), and Wins, ERA, WHIP and Saves (for pitchers) was always a blast. But hey, for a baseball afficionado like myself, I was always searching for ways to enhance the pleasure of playing this incredibly enjoyable recreational sport. More categories, such as On Base Avg., Slugging Percentage, OPS (a combination of the preceding two), Winning Percentage, picking a major league manager and using his real life record, picking a major league team, and somehow incorporating its home attendance into your salary cap, are all options available in playing fantasy baseball.
Does it ever bother you though, knowing that one bad outing by one of your starting pitchers can destroy your ERA or WHIP for the entire season? In major league baseball, a pitcher may have a couple of bad outings, but that won't necessarily prevent his team from winning it all at the end of the year. Is it the best way to build a team by stockpiling hitters who slug tons of home runs and collect loads of RBIs, or to load up on closers? Those are very common strategies to winning in many forms of fantasy baseball.
Have you ever built a fantasy team where every hitter in your starting lineup, from the leadoff guy, to the cleanup hitter, to the 8th guy in the order, each has equal importance? Do you think MLB GM's consider these types of things to be vital? Have you ever built a fantasy team where your middle relievers are every bit as crucial to your success as your starting rotation and your closer? Just watch a major league game today, and you can see just how critical it is to have those middle relievers who can either keep a lead for you, or keep you close enough to get into a position to win, while setting things up for your closer to come in and hopefully slam the door on the opposition. How about your defense? Does the ability of your fielders to catch and throw the ball matter to your team's success?
How do you mix all of these elements into a fantasy baseball game? Imagine not only being able to do so, but also doing it 162 times every season, and again in the post-season if you're good enough to make it to the playoffs. There are plenty of computer simulations out there which will allow you to do this, and they, too, are great fun. That is, if you don't mind your team's or players' success relying upon the computer's "roll-of-the dice", or "spin-of-the-wheel" in generating the outcome of your game.
For the ultimate experience, I suggest you consider finding a way to play your fantasy games where the stats your players generated in real life the day or night before, have a direct and immediate impact on what your team does the very next day. Where every phase of the game is critical, hitting for average, getting on base, hitting for power, driving in runs, base running, fielding, fielding range, throwing out base runners. All of these elements are accurately measurable through a science known as sabermetrics, using linear weighted values, made popular by baseball statistics researchers like John Thorn, Pete Palmer and Bill James, just to name a few. When you assign linear weighted values to offensive events in baseball, you can predict the total amount of runs any major league team will score in a given season within about a five percent margin of error.
Wow! Well, isn't baseball all about scoring more runs than the other team? If you could predict, scientifically, how many runs a team should score, or prevent from being scored by a team's pitching staff and its defense, would that be a most viable and dynamic way to play fantasy baseball? Where every offensive event, and a pitcher's pitching index (total innings pitched...times the league ERA divided by nine...minus the pitcher's earned runs) are absolutely critical to the outcome of your game. You can absolutely play a game where all of these things, and much, much more are determined, every day of your season. If you'd like to learn more about how to do that, I invite you to visit my website. And hey, no matter how you play fantasy baseball in the upcoming seasons, I hope you continue to have as much fun as I do.
For the past two decades, I've been having the time of my life as commissioner of many different types of fantasy baseball leagues. Expanding from the "classic" version of roto-ball...you know, using those original 8 statistical categories, to a full-blown version of playing a 162 game schedule of head-to-head competition in a league of eighteen teams, waking up every morning to daily standings and box scores generated by our fantasy players using real life statistics.
Are you a fantasy baseball player? If not, would you like to be? If you are, are you completely satisfied with the way your final results and league champions are determined? Are you looking for new challenges in your game? Do you have the courage...and the skill...to take it to the next level? I believe all versions of the game are great. If you're having fun playing your own type of "Hot Stove" baseball, then that's all that really matters. Of course, if there are ways to boost your fun to much higher levels, and you just aren't aware of how to do so, you may not know what you're missing.
Using the classic eight categories of Batting Avg., Home Runs, RBIs, Stolen Bases (for hitters), and Wins, ERA, WHIP and Saves (for pitchers) was always a blast. But hey, for a baseball afficionado like myself, I was always searching for ways to enhance the pleasure of playing this incredibly enjoyable recreational sport. More categories, such as On Base Avg., Slugging Percentage, OPS (a combination of the preceding two), Winning Percentage, picking a major league manager and using his real life record, picking a major league team, and somehow incorporating its home attendance into your salary cap, are all options available in playing fantasy baseball.
Does it ever bother you though, knowing that one bad outing by one of your starting pitchers can destroy your ERA or WHIP for the entire season? In major league baseball, a pitcher may have a couple of bad outings, but that won't necessarily prevent his team from winning it all at the end of the year. Is it the best way to build a team by stockpiling hitters who slug tons of home runs and collect loads of RBIs, or to load up on closers? Those are very common strategies to winning in many forms of fantasy baseball.
Have you ever built a fantasy team where every hitter in your starting lineup, from the leadoff guy, to the cleanup hitter, to the 8th guy in the order, each has equal importance? Do you think MLB GM's consider these types of things to be vital? Have you ever built a fantasy team where your middle relievers are every bit as crucial to your success as your starting rotation and your closer? Just watch a major league game today, and you can see just how critical it is to have those middle relievers who can either keep a lead for you, or keep you close enough to get into a position to win, while setting things up for your closer to come in and hopefully slam the door on the opposition. How about your defense? Does the ability of your fielders to catch and throw the ball matter to your team's success?
How do you mix all of these elements into a fantasy baseball game? Imagine not only being able to do so, but also doing it 162 times every season, and again in the post-season if you're good enough to make it to the playoffs. There are plenty of computer simulations out there which will allow you to do this, and they, too, are great fun. That is, if you don't mind your team's or players' success relying upon the computer's "roll-of-the dice", or "spin-of-the-wheel" in generating the outcome of your game.
For the ultimate experience, I suggest you consider finding a way to play your fantasy games where the stats your players generated in real life the day or night before, have a direct and immediate impact on what your team does the very next day. Where every phase of the game is critical, hitting for average, getting on base, hitting for power, driving in runs, base running, fielding, fielding range, throwing out base runners. All of these elements are accurately measurable through a science known as sabermetrics, using linear weighted values, made popular by baseball statistics researchers like John Thorn, Pete Palmer and Bill James, just to name a few. When you assign linear weighted values to offensive events in baseball, you can predict the total amount of runs any major league team will score in a given season within about a five percent margin of error.
Wow! Well, isn't baseball all about scoring more runs than the other team? If you could predict, scientifically, how many runs a team should score, or prevent from being scored by a team's pitching staff and its defense, would that be a most viable and dynamic way to play fantasy baseball? Where every offensive event, and a pitcher's pitching index (total innings pitched...times the league ERA divided by nine...minus the pitcher's earned runs) are absolutely critical to the outcome of your game. You can absolutely play a game where all of these things, and much, much more are determined, every day of your season. If you'd like to learn more about how to do that, I invite you to visit my website. And hey, no matter how you play fantasy baseball in the upcoming seasons, I hope you continue to have as much fun as I do.
A Brief History Of Baseball
The game of baseball is said to have begun in the early 19th century, but that's just half the truth. The game was played much before but the first baseball clubs were formed around that time. An Englishman named Alexander Cartwright in the year 1845 devised the first set of rules baseball. In fact, many of the rules listed out then are still used in the game.
In the year 1858, a group of amateur players came together to form the first baseball league - known as the National Association of Baseball Players. Right from the first year, the National Association of Baseball Players began charging for admission to baseball games.
At the turn of the century, the American League of baseball came into being and began playing in 1901. The game of baseball was still very much a game of strategy. The game depended on bunting, base stealing and contact hitters. With the invention of the cork centered baseball, all that changed. Because the new baseball allowed for more home runs baseball's popularity took off--and so did the cost of admissions.Throughout the early 20th century, the game of baseballrelied more and more on the hitting of home runs, and lesson strategy. This was thanks to great baseball players like Babe Ruth, who completely revolutionized the game with hisprowess at hitting home runs. It is largely due to the "Babe" that baseball became one of the most popular sports in America. And it didn't hurt future baseball players that people were willing to pay to see Babe Ruth play.
Even as late as 1960, rival leagues tried to make their way into American baseball. All of them failed to leave any significant mark, and the game is still ruled today by the National and American leagues. And throughout the last part of the 20th century, baseball became both a game of strategy and hitting. Pitching and home run hitting, though, are the baseball benchmarks of today. Baseball teams are either big winners or big losers, depending on the strength of their bullpens and their home run hitters. And the cost of admission still continues to rise.
In the early 20th century the concentration was more on hitting the home runs. Babe Ruth changed the course of the game with his magical abilities to achieve home runs. It was due to sportsmen like Babe Ruth that baseball achieved the levels of popularity that it did. The popularity of Babe Ruth also helped in improving the money in the game, since people just went to watch Babe Ruth in action.
Rival leagues kept trying to break into American baseball even as late as 1960. Of course, they all failed to leave any significant mark, and could not challenge the supremacy of the National and American leagues that rule the game till date. Baseball became a game of strategy and hitting throughout the last part of the 20th century. However, pitching and home run hitting are the baseball benchmarks of today. Depending on the strength of their bullpens and their home run hitters, baseball teams are either big winners or big losers. The one thing that is consistent is that the cost of admission still continues to rise.
In the year 1858, a group of amateur players came together to form the first baseball league - known as the National Association of Baseball Players. Right from the first year, the National Association of Baseball Players began charging for admission to baseball games.
At the turn of the century, the American League of baseball came into being and began playing in 1901. The game of baseball was still very much a game of strategy. The game depended on bunting, base stealing and contact hitters. With the invention of the cork centered baseball, all that changed. Because the new baseball allowed for more home runs baseball's popularity took off--and so did the cost of admissions.Throughout the early 20th century, the game of baseballrelied more and more on the hitting of home runs, and lesson strategy. This was thanks to great baseball players like Babe Ruth, who completely revolutionized the game with hisprowess at hitting home runs. It is largely due to the "Babe" that baseball became one of the most popular sports in America. And it didn't hurt future baseball players that people were willing to pay to see Babe Ruth play.
Even as late as 1960, rival leagues tried to make their way into American baseball. All of them failed to leave any significant mark, and the game is still ruled today by the National and American leagues. And throughout the last part of the 20th century, baseball became both a game of strategy and hitting. Pitching and home run hitting, though, are the baseball benchmarks of today. Baseball teams are either big winners or big losers, depending on the strength of their bullpens and their home run hitters. And the cost of admission still continues to rise.
In the early 20th century the concentration was more on hitting the home runs. Babe Ruth changed the course of the game with his magical abilities to achieve home runs. It was due to sportsmen like Babe Ruth that baseball achieved the levels of popularity that it did. The popularity of Babe Ruth also helped in improving the money in the game, since people just went to watch Babe Ruth in action.
Rival leagues kept trying to break into American baseball even as late as 1960. Of course, they all failed to leave any significant mark, and could not challenge the supremacy of the National and American leagues that rule the game till date. Baseball became a game of strategy and hitting throughout the last part of the 20th century. However, pitching and home run hitting are the baseball benchmarks of today. Depending on the strength of their bullpens and their home run hitters, baseball teams are either big winners or big losers. The one thing that is consistent is that the cost of admission still continues to rise.
Weight Training and Baseball
Baseball is known as perhaps one of the most inactive sports there is-by this I mean you don’t really have to be a top athlete to actually be the best at the game! Compared to other games there is far lese activity and running!
However strength is crucial in this game!
When you are strong, you can hit harder, you can be quicker at base-running and you will have stronger throws- all of which are the needed to win the game.
And isn’t that what all baseball players want to have the ability to hit home runs with ease? And make flying passes at the bases beating the throwers to the plate?
Now you can say that some players are gifted and can hit home runns without much training. But for most players , strength training is crucial if they want to excel at the game!
Fact is, you can be as strong and just as good as the most talented players through a solid weight training program no matter how skillful you are right now, your speed, muscle endurance and power can all be improved!.
It is undeniable what a good weight program can do to improve your game.
Evidence of this can be seen on T.V. you will find some baseball players aren’t as fast as they may be fit and they always get taken out at the plate by a faster player
Baseball primarily involves explosive movements with little endurance movements involved in it
For example -a slugger hits the ball then explodes to the plate then waits there until the next slugger finally hits another strike-which could send him to wait at the next base.
As you can see there is very little endurance required in baseball and there is more than enough time to catch your breathe at each play , plus you also get to rest after you pass home base.
So all baseball players should focus on explosive training workouts for both their upper and lower bodies.
The main focus however should be on upper body strength development!
However the best workout that any baseball player can perform is neuromuscular training, neuromuscular training is important for one reason, it improves neuromuscular efficiency –which is the rate at which your brain sends signals to your muscles (hands and arms- which is crucial for hitters).
Neuromuscular strength is what allows encourages faster swings and better hits.
However when it comes to pitching it’s a different story because a pitcher also has to be in good overall shape because pitching a baseball requires the work of the whole body: legs, abs, arms and chest
And its focus should be on explosive strength training, endurance is also crucial. I refer to endurance of the arms -pitchers need endurance in the arms because they have to pitch the ball repeatedly throughout the whole game.
All baseball players however can benefit from a good weight training program. Strength training will give every baseball player-Better performance, injury avoidance/career longevity, improved recovery rate, improve pitching speed, sustaining/increasing muscle strength and balance, and improved upper body strength
You can’t argue with these results. Fact is, a stronger baseball player will always out perform an average baseball player – if we assume they have the same skills!
Now as for a Hitter
A hitter needs to have strong arms for better bat swings etc .the main muscle for both a hitter and pitcher are the shoulder muscles. So emphasis should be placed on both the shoulders and arms!
The muscles of the shoulders are the main muscle for pitching and swinging.
And exercises that are good for hitting and pitching are: Internal/external rotation at 90 degrees • bent-over raises • medial rotation raises • Dumbbell shrugs and• Lateral raises
Hitters also need to have good neuromuscular connection it’s a must in almost all sports but more so in baseball
Hitter’s should perform their workouts with a repetition range of 3 to 4 to encourage neuromuscular strength development! This should be followed by a set of 6 to 8 repetitions on the next set to encourage maximum strength development.
And then finally a third set of 3 to 4 reps to encourage explosive strength development.
So all baseball players other than hitters need to follow the same method of training, using 4 sets that combine neuromuscular training with strength training to yield total muscular development!
This way of exercising will give hitters explosive power in their arms, the neuromuscular strength that his exercise builds will cause the hitter to have faster reaction times and allow them to hit that ball clear out of the park- which is helpful in winning games
Plus baseball players could benefit from swinging the bat as a drill! Swing drills combine Nero muscular training and strength training which will make the arms faster, stronger and leaner
Also needed for baseball is a strong lower body-.some baseball players prefer to perform plyometrics exercises in order to gain speed and power for more explosive runs.
One popular baseball plyometrics exercise is bounding which is excellent for increasing speed and explosiveness.
To make plyometrics exercises more effective, you need to perform squats – which is an universal exercise for working out the entire lower body
Squats should be used by all baseball players to increase muscle strength and explosiveness. Other good lower body workouts include: squats, lunges .leg raises, hamstring curls and calf raises.
There is another effective way to increase batting strength and speed and that is using a heavy bat to hit the ball!
A heavy bat is a baseball that is weighted and is used by hitters to swing at balls. This exercise drill stimulates the exact muscles used during a swing, so It is most efficient exercise you can perform for increasing hitting power and speed. Caution should however be used when using a heavy bar because there is a risk of injury of flinging heavy weights.
Now we move onto strength training for pitchers!
The weight training program here differs slightly; it becomes more specific because pitchers need arms that are powerful as well as enduring
They also need the endurance to last the whole baseball game
They should also use a variety of exercises to develop the whole body!
All workouts should be compromised of strength training, plyometrics and endurance training.
Here is an example of what a pitcher weight workout would look like:
Bench press
Flies
Should presses
Dumbbell front raise
Upright rows
Dumbbell flies
Bicep curl
Preacher curl
Triceps extensions
Front face extensions
Squats
Leg raises
Hamstring curls
Calf raises
As a general rule, perform 3-4 sets each and train explosively with repetitions in the 4-8 rep range!
More specifically: Pitchers will need to use 3 to 4 reps for power and mix it up with 10 to 16 reps for endurance.
Hitters might also perform 3 full sets of power repetitions! By that I mean, they should use 3 to 4 reps to build neuromuscular strength and power, which they will need for both throwing the ball and lasting throughout the whole game.
When it comes to medicine ball workouts, it should consist of
Medicine ball chest passes
Over head passes
Medicine ball crunches
This medicine ball workout increase power and neuromuscular efficiency
Which also helps to improve the range of motion and power of the body- because they will be performing explosive movements in a wide range of motion, which will develop power and increase the range of motion in the pitchers body.
For example, the medicine ball chest passes will increase explosive power in the arms and chest, which will help with the power of the pitchers pitch.
Plyometrics baseball exercises would consist of the following:
Bounding jumps
Squat jumps
Lunge jumps
Box jumps
These exercises will develop the explosive power needed in the legs for explosive movements such as sprinting to the plates, which is crucial when it comes to winning games!
I hope you found this brief guide helpful, use it and improve your baseball game!
However strength is crucial in this game!
When you are strong, you can hit harder, you can be quicker at base-running and you will have stronger throws- all of which are the needed to win the game.
And isn’t that what all baseball players want to have the ability to hit home runs with ease? And make flying passes at the bases beating the throwers to the plate?
Now you can say that some players are gifted and can hit home runns without much training. But for most players , strength training is crucial if they want to excel at the game!
Fact is, you can be as strong and just as good as the most talented players through a solid weight training program no matter how skillful you are right now, your speed, muscle endurance and power can all be improved!.
It is undeniable what a good weight program can do to improve your game.
Evidence of this can be seen on T.V. you will find some baseball players aren’t as fast as they may be fit and they always get taken out at the plate by a faster player
Baseball primarily involves explosive movements with little endurance movements involved in it
For example -a slugger hits the ball then explodes to the plate then waits there until the next slugger finally hits another strike-which could send him to wait at the next base.
As you can see there is very little endurance required in baseball and there is more than enough time to catch your breathe at each play , plus you also get to rest after you pass home base.
So all baseball players should focus on explosive training workouts for both their upper and lower bodies.
The main focus however should be on upper body strength development!
However the best workout that any baseball player can perform is neuromuscular training, neuromuscular training is important for one reason, it improves neuromuscular efficiency –which is the rate at which your brain sends signals to your muscles (hands and arms- which is crucial for hitters).
Neuromuscular strength is what allows encourages faster swings and better hits.
However when it comes to pitching it’s a different story because a pitcher also has to be in good overall shape because pitching a baseball requires the work of the whole body: legs, abs, arms and chest
And its focus should be on explosive strength training, endurance is also crucial. I refer to endurance of the arms -pitchers need endurance in the arms because they have to pitch the ball repeatedly throughout the whole game.
All baseball players however can benefit from a good weight training program. Strength training will give every baseball player-Better performance, injury avoidance/career longevity, improved recovery rate, improve pitching speed, sustaining/increasing muscle strength and balance, and improved upper body strength
You can’t argue with these results. Fact is, a stronger baseball player will always out perform an average baseball player – if we assume they have the same skills!
Now as for a Hitter
A hitter needs to have strong arms for better bat swings etc .the main muscle for both a hitter and pitcher are the shoulder muscles. So emphasis should be placed on both the shoulders and arms!
The muscles of the shoulders are the main muscle for pitching and swinging.
And exercises that are good for hitting and pitching are: Internal/external rotation at 90 degrees • bent-over raises • medial rotation raises • Dumbbell shrugs and• Lateral raises
Hitters also need to have good neuromuscular connection it’s a must in almost all sports but more so in baseball
Hitter’s should perform their workouts with a repetition range of 3 to 4 to encourage neuromuscular strength development! This should be followed by a set of 6 to 8 repetitions on the next set to encourage maximum strength development.
And then finally a third set of 3 to 4 reps to encourage explosive strength development.
So all baseball players other than hitters need to follow the same method of training, using 4 sets that combine neuromuscular training with strength training to yield total muscular development!
This way of exercising will give hitters explosive power in their arms, the neuromuscular strength that his exercise builds will cause the hitter to have faster reaction times and allow them to hit that ball clear out of the park- which is helpful in winning games
Plus baseball players could benefit from swinging the bat as a drill! Swing drills combine Nero muscular training and strength training which will make the arms faster, stronger and leaner
Also needed for baseball is a strong lower body-.some baseball players prefer to perform plyometrics exercises in order to gain speed and power for more explosive runs.
One popular baseball plyometrics exercise is bounding which is excellent for increasing speed and explosiveness.
To make plyometrics exercises more effective, you need to perform squats – which is an universal exercise for working out the entire lower body
Squats should be used by all baseball players to increase muscle strength and explosiveness. Other good lower body workouts include: squats, lunges .leg raises, hamstring curls and calf raises.
There is another effective way to increase batting strength and speed and that is using a heavy bat to hit the ball!
A heavy bat is a baseball that is weighted and is used by hitters to swing at balls. This exercise drill stimulates the exact muscles used during a swing, so It is most efficient exercise you can perform for increasing hitting power and speed. Caution should however be used when using a heavy bar because there is a risk of injury of flinging heavy weights.
Now we move onto strength training for pitchers!
The weight training program here differs slightly; it becomes more specific because pitchers need arms that are powerful as well as enduring
They also need the endurance to last the whole baseball game
They should also use a variety of exercises to develop the whole body!
All workouts should be compromised of strength training, plyometrics and endurance training.
Here is an example of what a pitcher weight workout would look like:
Bench press
Flies
Should presses
Dumbbell front raise
Upright rows
Dumbbell flies
Bicep curl
Preacher curl
Triceps extensions
Front face extensions
Squats
Leg raises
Hamstring curls
Calf raises
As a general rule, perform 3-4 sets each and train explosively with repetitions in the 4-8 rep range!
More specifically: Pitchers will need to use 3 to 4 reps for power and mix it up with 10 to 16 reps for endurance.
Hitters might also perform 3 full sets of power repetitions! By that I mean, they should use 3 to 4 reps to build neuromuscular strength and power, which they will need for both throwing the ball and lasting throughout the whole game.
When it comes to medicine ball workouts, it should consist of
Medicine ball chest passes
Over head passes
Medicine ball crunches
This medicine ball workout increase power and neuromuscular efficiency
Which also helps to improve the range of motion and power of the body- because they will be performing explosive movements in a wide range of motion, which will develop power and increase the range of motion in the pitchers body.
For example, the medicine ball chest passes will increase explosive power in the arms and chest, which will help with the power of the pitchers pitch.
Plyometrics baseball exercises would consist of the following:
Bounding jumps
Squat jumps
Lunge jumps
Box jumps
These exercises will develop the explosive power needed in the legs for explosive movements such as sprinting to the plates, which is crucial when it comes to winning games!
I hope you found this brief guide helpful, use it and improve your baseball game!
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