Posted by: Graylon (g_dunc@hotmail.com) on Sun Dec 16 06:06:26 2007

> George,
>
> Eddie Murray (3000 Hits 500 Home Run Hall of Famer) once told me that there is no such thing as one perfect swing. As a matter of fact there are thousands of different perfect swings from the same hitter. It's up to the hitter to put the right perfect swing on the pitch that they get.
>
> He also told me this... The day that hitters accept the fact that pitchers will get them out and defenders will take hits away from them,
> that is the day when they mature into a Major League hitter.
>
> The positive attitude really comes from accepting the fact that we are all human. To expect perfection is to set yourself up for failure in a game with so many variables.
>
> Hitters do not control the following things:
>
> the elements (wind, rain, sunshine, clouds, altitude), the umpires (plate and bases), field dimensions (foul territory and HR fence), the positioning of the defense (infield/outfield shift, infield-in, no double outfield depth, shallow outfielders) field conditions (good hops/bad hops, slow infield/fast infield, slow outfield/fast outfield, sloppy to run in, hole in the batters box/lack there of) the ability of the defenders infielder range/arm, outfielder range/arm), the base-runners (slow/fast, smart/stupid), and last but certainly not least.....the pitcher and catcher abilities.
>
> George...help the players and let the players play. If they are constantly told that they are not good enough or they are not perfect enough, the fun and passion for the game will evolve into an obsession for perfection....Those guys never reach their full potential in the game of baseball.
>
> Improve and keep trying to improve, but understand reality.
>
> The part of this game that makes it so great is the fact that it is hard. It is not as easy as you claim it to be. When a hitter gets a hit he is elated because he has one a battle that is hard to win. I think that hitting a Home Run is one of the top three feelings one could feel in their life...Why? Because it is the ultimate success in a game that is so hard.
>
> Accept the hard game, don't trivialize it.
>
> I say these words to help you, not to hurt you. the one that needs to open up their mind in here is you.
>
> Jimmy


Jimmy,

Very well said!

The best hitting instructor that I have ever been around, Mike Epstein, has said, "There is no such thing as the perfect swing, the perfect swing is the adjustment you make to the pitch you get".

Quote from you from Eddie Murray:
"He also told me this... The day that hitters accept the fact that pitchers will get them out and defenders will take hits away from them,
that is the day when they mature into a Major League hitter."

I like that statement.

Good stuff,

Graylon