Posted by: Paul Nyman (pnyman@setpro.com) on Thu Feb 19 04:23:41 2004

"On a selfish basis this is an “interesting” challenge you and I and the rest of the viewers would enjoy. However, what has Jack got to gain by it? He already has the best hitting website on the internet and a large following. His videos are owned by anyone serious about hitting. Jack would be doing a good deed by getting involved, but as we all know: no good deed goes unpunished Dan B "


Jack,

Some of these posters are wonderfully comical and or very naïve in their beliefs.


"However, what has Jack got to gain by it?"


Egocentrism is a wonderful thing.... until you've find out that there are bigger fish in the pond. Let's see..., my guess is that here in Connecticut where I'm located, maybe 1 in every 100 (if that) baseball parents./players/coaches in the entire state of Connecticut might have heard of Jack Mankin and batspeed.com. I suspect that this is true for most of the US. So if we have 100 coaches, 99 of them having no idea what rotational hitting is about nevermind how to teach it. Figure that each of those 99 coaches may be involved with 10 players. And maybe you start to get the picture of what Jack might have to gain.


"He already has the best hitting website on the internet and a large following."


I won't argue whether Jack has the best hitting web site or not. What's "best" is usually in the eye of the beholder. I do know that 95% (at least) of all hitting instruction is still based on traditional (linear??) methods. So if for talking about a few percent (if that) of the baseball population as being a large following than you have a radically different definition of large following than I do.


"His videos are owned by anyone serious about hitting."


Numbers wise, I believe there are more people who are serious about hitting that don't own Jack's video than there are serious people who do. I also believe that people who are really serious about hitting own everyone's video and/or book on hitting. As well as frequenting every web site that discusses hitting. And anyone who seriously wants to improve their hitting knowledge also has/keeps a very open mind in terms of evaluating and accepting information.


"Jack would be doing a good deed by getting involved, but as we all know: no good deed goes unpunished Dan B "


It's been my experience that those who commit bad deeds a more susceptible to punishment than those who commit good deeds. I also believe that the main attribute that separates child from adult or immaturity from maturity is that adults don't always expect a positive return on committing good deeds (what's in it for me? or aren't you proud of me?). That the good deed itself is more than enough reward.

None of which is to disparage Jack or his efforts. What DanB (and others?) does not seem to understand or appreciate is that the baseball world with respect to instruction is horribly fragmented. And there is no single clear channel to get information to the "masses". And even if you do manage to get information in front of someone there belief system (formed by years of traditional baseball culture) will usually filter out anything that is not consistent with what they WANT to see and hear.

I don't know how Jack puts up with the religious fervor that exists when it comes to baseball instruction. I know I have no where near the patience that he does/exhibits on this web site.

Again another fine example of why I no longer have the time or energy to deal with public forums.... ;-)