Posted by: Jack Mankin (mrbatspeed@aol.com) on Mon Aug 25 12:59:03 2003

>>> I suspect that what Bart is talking about is the drop in the bat head (out of the plane of the swing) that is evident in at least some of the swings I have seen of Ted. I have a few of them on videos and will dig them out if you want. <<<

Hi Nick

Many times when I ask questions about someone’s view on swing mechanics, it is taken as an objection. Actually, I agree with you and Bart regarding Williams dropping the bat-head out of the swing plane. He started with his hands low behind him,and as he accelerated the bat-head back toward the catcher, the bat-head accelerated in too much of a downward angle. This resulted in a sine wave effect in the early part of the swing plane. However, Ted had his hands far enough back at initiation (straight lead-arm) that the plane smoothed out (most of the time) before contact.

I noted that A-Rod exhibited this same flaw in this year’s Home Run Derby. His bat-head accelerated well below the plane of the lead-arm at initiation, and he was only able to make solid contact on a couple of balls. – I think he was trying to get more lift, but it sure screwed up his swing plane through the contact zone.

Jack Mankin