Posted by: Jack Mankin (MrBatspeed@aol.com) on Tue Nov 27 22:56:53 2001

>>> Jack, this one's for you... you're the video guy.
Stock your bat rack with Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Reggie Jackson tapes. Analyze tradition
that worked well i.e., spiral rotation that often
ended in near rear knee contact w/ground. These
hitters, with their longer stride, spiraled down as hips rotated/swing developed/contact was made/
arms(V)extended as shoulder pulled around back towards catcher. Enter 2001 Barry Bonds !!! He has
become a stand up hitter. What stride he shows is
more of a rhythm thing. On inside pitches, his short quick bat snaps to his lower body (rotation-
al axis) hip twist which initiates his upper body
rotation. On outside pitches, he dips his back
shoulder(slightly)to reach with power.
I have never been a big Bonds fan. However, he
has been listening/analyzing/digesting input from
some source... maybe Willie/Bobby/Joe Morgan/other
and he has developed into a phenom. I rejoice in
seeing an athlete(particularly baseball)strive to improve... especially in the later years of their
career. Bonds maintains exceptional body conditioning. With that said, if his back can stay
the duration, he, not Jr, will eclipse Henry to
set the new bar for home runs.
In watching Bonds, this season, my eyes tried to "lock" on what is going on. Your web descrip-
tion sold me. Rotational axis et.al is what I've needed for explanation.
Jack, won't you analyze those soso players in-
dicated above. Has not Bonds perfected where many
others have "basically" been? <<<

Hi Cycle

I agree. Barry Bonds swing exemplifies the batting principles found on this site. I stated in a March post that he had the best rotational mechanics in the majors.

Jack Mankin