Tips From Coach John Peter
It Takes Heart
Successful players tend to be the ones with talent, skills, size, heart and a huge appetite for doing the same thing over and over and over again. You are born with some of these things... The others are learned.
You can't teach height...but you can learn heart!
There's always room in this game for players with great heart!
Hey Infielders!
If the ground ball stays low.Stay Low when you approach it!
If the ground ball has high hops.Stay Up when you approach it!
Learn to find the correct hop. It is the one that has either the short hop or the long hop. That in-between hop is the one where you can get handcuffed leading to potential for a mishandled ball.
When I see a bad throw... my eyes immediately look for incorrect position of the feet!
Infield drills in practice as well as pregame warm ups are much more about throwing than fielding ground balls.
You have got to catch ground balls out and in front of you.
Why. because bad hops will tie up your hands if your hands are in a position inside your knees.
The last steps when approaching a groundball are small, choppy steps to best keep the fielder under control.
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Baseball Bytes
From the book Coaching Baseball Skills & Drills
Excerpts from Ch. 1, pgs. 17-19
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Selection of A Bat
Often on youth league teams the only bats available are too heavy. If this is the case hitters should experiment with each bat by choking it at different points to find the "balance point," the position where the bat feels comfortable in the hitter's hand. By varying the position of the hands on the bat handle, a hitter can find and mark the balance point with a piece of tape where the bottom part of the lower hand is positioned on the bat. The tape will remind the hitter where to hold the bat each time, thus increasing bat control. A bat is not always controlled best by holding it down on the knob.
Stance and Stride: Distance From the Plate
The distance a hitter stands from the plate depends on his body structure and style of hitting. Basically, a hitter should stand far enough back from the plate so that his bat passes slightly across the outer edge of the plate when his arms are extended. This position encourages a hitter to "throw" the bat at the ball and to extend fully on all pitches.
Standing too close to the plate makes it difficult for the hitter to execute a proper contact point position, and may lead him to swinging with his arms instead of throwing the bat at the ball.
The hitter's belt buckle should be in line with the center of the plate and the stance should be slightly closed (the front foot slightly closer to the plate than the back foot), with the stride going toward the pitcher's belt buckle. This position enables a hitter to hit all types of pitches more effectively. The hitter will be able to contact the curve ball before it reaches the maximum breaking angle, yet the position still permits the hitter to pull inside fastballs.
 Skills & Drills
Coaching Baseball Skills & Drills by Bragg Stockton is included free of charge with the Skills & Drills Complete Coaching Video Series, a complete and comprehensive set of video instruction for the thousands of youth level coaches who can use help in multiple areas.
"Absolutely comprehensive and thoroughly covers all aspects that players need to learn.. and all from one very qualified coach and teacher."
- Coach JP |
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Getting consistent and realistic practice for pitchers is difficult. Currently most training devices for pitching instruction involve some form of target at which pitchers throw. The Pitcher's Pal allows every pitcher to face a batter with every pitch in every practice. It is used by 21 MLB teams and dozens of colleges and universities to increase accuracy during game situations. Each Pal can "hit" right and left-handed with a removable bat that is provided.
Coach JP: These goofy looking things make a lot of sense. It's how a pitcher can work on location without worrying about hitting a teammate and when there is no teammate to stand in.
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Featured Article
While intended to be an aid for coaches, what Coach Lambin writes about also serves as a checklist for youth baseball parents on proper behavior.....Coach JP
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How to Handle Parents
The wise coach understands that he is not just teaching boys to play baseball but is shepherding a group of families through the baseball experience. He must explain to the parents their role in this adventure. So here's my list of do's and don'ts that a coach should communicate to the parents.
1. DO get your son to practice and games on time or arrange transportation. I am not a taxi service.
5. DON'T pressure your son to succeed in the games. This experience is about the journey not the destination. It is probably not a good idea to go over his every mistake in last night's game over breakfast.
9. DON'T coach from the stands. Is there anything worse than some Mom who knows nothing about baseball yelling little coaching catch phrases at her son while he tries to hit like, "get your elbow up?" I have no problem going over to the backstop and calling the Mom out and telling her to be quiet.
11. DO your part in the field maintenance program, concession stand duty, etc. I even went so far as to tell the parents "I don't do fields. I coach baseball. You will be responsible for organizing field duty." It worked.
Read the full article
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Baseball Facts
What's In A Name? Lots of Revenue
Stadium Naming Rights
Just over half (16 of 30) of the Major League teams receive corporate funds from selling naming rights to their respective ballparks, in some cases throwing traditional names aside. So what was the name Comiskey worth? Apparently $3.4 million per year.
| Stadium Name |
Team |
$$/Year |
Expires |
| Minute Maid Park | Houston Astros | $6 million | 2030 |
| U.S. Cellular Field | Chicago White Sox | $3.4 million | 2025 |
| Great American Ball Park | Cincinnati Reds | $2.5 million | 2033 |
| Edison International Field | Anaheim Angels | $2.5 million | 2018 |
| Comerica Park | Detroit Tigers | $2.2 million | 2030 |
| Bank One Ballpark | Arizona Diamondbacks | $2.2 million | 2028 |
| Pacific Bell Park | San Francisco Giants | $2.1 million | 2024 |
| Miller Park | Milwaukee Brewers | $2.05 million | 2020 |
| Safeco Field | Seattle Mariners | $2 million | 2019 |
| Pro Player Stadium | Florida Marlins | $2 million | 2006 |
| Tropicana Field | Tampa Bay Devil Rays | $1.5 million | 2026 |
| PNC Park | Pittsburgh Pirates | $1.5 million | 2020 |
| *Coors Field | Colorado Rockies | $1.5 million | 2004 |
| Network Associates Coliseum | Oakland A's | $1.2 million | 2003 |
| *Qualcomm Stadium | San Diego Padres | $900,000 | 2017 |
| Jacobs Field | Cleveland Indians | $695,000 | 2014 |
* Details of the Rockies' deal with Coors are not fully available. What is known is that Coors paid $15 million for the rights. The length of the contract is believed by some to be 10 years, while many business journals list the timeframe as "not available."
* The Padres will move into a new ballpark in 2004. The new stadium will be called Petco Park through 2026 at $2.7 million per year.
By the way, the first naming rights purchaser was Target, which paid $500,000 to put its name on Minneapolis' Target Center.
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Baseball Quotes, Wit & Wisdom
You don't save pitchers for tomorrow. Tomorrow it may rain.
Leo Durocher
The best possible thing in baseball is winning the World Series. The second best thing is losing the World Series.
Tommy Lasorda
Every player, in his secret heart, wants to manage someday. Every fan, in the privacy of his mind, already does.
Leonard Koppett
I'm convinced that every boy, in his heart, would rather steal second base than an automobile.
Tom Clark
It (baseball) is an American institution and more lasting than some marriages, war, Supreme Court decisions and even major depressions.
Art Rust
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