Posted by: BHL (Knight1285@aol.com) on Thu May 12 15:04:49 2005

> BHL
> I find your premises and information lacking in credibility and in one instance potentially dangerous. Do you really want a short armed little leaguer crowding the plate ala Bonds without Bonds' body armor, just so he can try to pull every pitch. This is a formula for developing bad mechanics and possibly in the process scaring off youngsters and their caring parents. Have you ever seen a little leaguer turn into a pitch and get drilled in the chest? I have, not a pretty sight. Can you name any major league player who emulated precisely a great player? Years ago Ralph Kiner tried to emulate Babe Ruth and couldn't. His hitting coach told him to be his own person. Kiner went on to win seven home run titles. Moral: be the hitter hard work, good mechanics and your body want you to be. Don't waste valuable time pursuing a fantasy. As for Bonds' mechanics I have tape of him hitting in the 80's. Except for his present bulk his swing looks the same. Do you have any credible evidence that it is not the same. Your statement about him lacking bulk the year he hit 49 home runs is completely fallacious. Foxsports.com showed 16 photos, each representing a year of Bonds in uniform. Not only is he huge in the above year (he looks as big as in the present, which is probably why the photo is captioned "big and bad") but was huge the previous year. Few people know how long Bonds has been juiced up, and they aren't talking. By the way your March 17 "steroid" posting failed to mention any present day small home run hitters who you think were effective because of their mechanics. Your reference to "McCarthyism" also failed to mention that McCarthy died in disgrace when he was unable to uncover a single communist in government. I doubt that any congressman is going to die in disgrace because he failed to uncover juiced up ball players. If you want to begin to educate yourself about the impact of steroids on player performance, even those whose musculature is not apparent through uniforms, read what an old time former minor leaguer had to to say about "dog days" on page 46 of the March 28, 2005 Sports Illustrated edition.

Hi JAC:

I stand by my proposition for teaching children to pull every pitch in that they can hit to the shortest field where the ball can be yanked with the most authority.

Although I am glad that you took time to critique my statements, I do have anecdotal evidence to support my theory. Mel Ott, Barry Bonds, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Big Mac, Mickey Mantle, and others achieved immortality through pulling every pitch.

What I believe is confounding your criticism is paying more attention to what players said than what they actually did. It must be duly noted that understanding the difference between the two aforementioned polarities is instrumental to understanding my viewpoint. For instance, Ted Williams might have criticized his "proclivity" for hitting every pitch into the "natural field"; however, he was very successful doing it.

The same criticism applies to Jack Mankin. In all honesty, I believe that Jack Mankin puts forth a solid explanation that reasons why all pitches can be pulled. Unfortunately, his belief that the hitter should aim to hit every pitch to center field--where most long drives are outs!--seems to undermine developing good bat speed in the first place. I understand that he says that one's ability to get "good wood" on the ball will diminsh if the batter approaches the pitch with a steeper bat angle. What I cannot comprehend, though, is why he would stress insignificant details--insignificant in the sense that, when one pulls a pitch, it can be hit poorly, and still carry over the fence. If it is hit improperly, well, it will be one hell of a ball to field!

On that note, I advise you not to listen to listen to sluggers that argued that a home run is a mistake. More than likely, these hitters were swinging for the fences all the time. Look at it this way: at least Mantle was honest about his approach.

By the way, do you not feel it a bit hypocritical that the same government that wanted to use Mac and Sammy as symbols of human beings who can bring baseball back now wants to disgrace them for using steroids? Why didn't they open their mouths earlier? Please remember that most of these politicians never played the game, with the exception of the Jim Bunnings.

Best Wishes,
BHL