Posted by: BHL (Knight1285@aol.com) on Mon May 29 19:26:22 2006

Hi All,

I would like to wish everyone a great holiday.

As far of not having a fundamental grasp of the game, I second that comment.

Personally, I believe that all of you are ensconsed in the uselessness of traditionalism.

One reason that players today can crowd the plate is that 1) the amount of armor they wear (even with restraints, players can still disregard them); 2) players do not fear getting hit (pitchers get ejected easier today than in the past since umpires are more apt to "jump" on pitchers that throw inside; 3) beaning players today will incur a stiff penalty, since Bud Selig sympathesizes more with the hitters than the pitchers.

These reasons are encouragement for a batter to get on top of the plate, and pull all pitchers.

By the way, when I was still playing high school ball, I got drilled with a 95 mph fastball in the back. Although it is not a pleasant experience, it did not make me scared. Ted Williams got beaned, and stayed on top of the plate afterward.

It takes courage to crowd the plate and pull all pitches.

Lastly, like all other approaches, my PFO is theoretical. Feel free to agree or disagree with it.

Happy Holidays to All,
BHL