Posted by: Coach C () on Tue Dec 30 11:23:15 2003

In talking with Lamber, I was reminded of some great clips I have of Ruth playing pepper. Even in those pepper drills one can see the differences with the modern day amateur pepper player and Ruth. I have no knowledge of it, but my assumption is that pepper was rampid back in those days. Is there anyone else that buys the notion that great hitting mechanics can be seen even in a game of pepper?
> >
> > I've got some other clips of great hitters just taking soft swings (Bonds, Palmeiro, etc.) Their mechanics are very detectable to me in those soft swings.
> >
> > Jack,
> >
> > Do your theories hold up in a nice game of pepper. Would Griffey's mechnics be evident in a pepper game? Pepper anyone?
> >
> > Pass the salt!
> >
> > Coach C
>
> Coach C, The sad truth is that very few guys play pepper any more. Heck, there are signs all over big league parks saying "no pepper".
> The first time I noticed was in the early 80's when guys (mostly pitchers) started playing "flip" instead of pepper. Now, I don't even see guys playing flip. The most exciting thing I see is the pitchers up against the fence with their rubber bands stretching. When the wood bat left amateur baseball, the pepper games became fewer and fewer. With the wood, the guys loved to play pepper so that they could feel the head (sweet spot) of the bat getting to the ball. With the metal bats, there is no feel with the head of the bat.
>
> Doug


You are so right Doug.....we must be "Old School". How about the art of hitting pop ups to the catcher. I would spend hours trying to hit fly balls to myself as a kid, as well as self-tossing balls to myself and hitting them over a fence. All of these things made me aware of the bat head. Played a lot of wiffle ball too!! Bat head awareness.......awesome!!!