Quiet Ambassador: Pee Wee Reese Story

(2) They're good communicators, especially under pressure. It is often the catcher who calms his erratic or fading pitchers by calling for a quick conference on the mound. Knowing when to call the time out, and what to say during it, are really important skills. Corporate managers who know when to give their people an impromptu break, or who sense when something subtle is askew, are some of the most effective mentors.

(4) Their heads are always in the game because they're part of every play. They're alert and always vigilant.

But they, like most catchers, were adroit students of the game.

Managers - Think Like A Catcher!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman is a top trainer, conference and convention speaker, and sales, customer service, and negotiation consultant. A frequent expert commentator on radio and TV, he is also the best-selling author of 12 books, more than 1,000 articles and several popular audio and video programs. His seminars are sponsored internationally and he is a faculty member at more than 40 universities, including UC Berkeley and UCLA. Gary's sales, management and consulting experience is combined with impressive academic credentials: A Ph.D. from USC, an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management, and a J.D. degree from Loyola Law School, his clients include several Fortune 1000 companies.

It's easy to think of catchers as the samurai of baseball.

(1) They take total responsibility for the game, suggesting pitches to pitchers, those that are most calculated to retire hitters. They even position fielders, because they sense where the ball is most likely to be hit.

I don't know what my manager saw in me, but in Little League, he converted me from being an infielder to a catcher. Possibly, more than anything else, the training and experience I got, then and at higher levels of baseball, enabled me to become and effective corporate manager and independent consultant.

They don armor before going into combat and they withstand a pummeling by opponent after opponent, without expressing a hint of discomfort.

They strategize, incessantly, and with every pitch and nuance they detect, their game plans adjust.

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Managers should emulate catchers, if only because catchers, as a general rule, become great managers.

So was Joe Torre, as I recall.

The man who took over for departing Yankee manager Joe Torre, Joe Girardi, was a catcher.

It may be too late for you to change your Little League position, but it's never too late to study catchers and the managers they become, and above all, to learn to think as they do.

In 2007, the two gentlemen voted Managers of the Year by Major League baseball, had been catchers in their playing days. They didn't post remarkable batting averages. In fact, their career averages were about .237, which isn't very good, at all.

(3) Constantly, they see the big picture. Only catchers can eyeball every other player on the field, simultaneously.

Why do catchers make such fine managers? Five reasons:

And they are constantly WATCHING, whether it is a slight change in the orientation of their pitcher's throwing arm or the warm-up swings of an unknown adversary in the on deck circle.

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The New MLB Drug Testing Policy

The new policy was brought about by threat of legislation from Congress. Under the policy tougher penalties for steroid use are implemented. Under the new policy the players are to be tested during their spring training along with at least one additional test during the regular season as well as being subject to random testing throughout the regular season.

Under the previous policy testing was also conducted on a much less frequent basis. Testing was conducted at the beginning of spring training with no additional testing through the regular season other than random testing. Under this policy, it was quite possible for a player to only be tested once from the beginning of spring training throughout the regular season.

The policy stipulated that players who tested positive for steroid the year prior to the new policy taking affect would be treated as first time offenders under the new policy if they should test positive again.

If youve been following the news lately, no doubt youve heard about the new MLB drug testing policy. While you may have heard about the policy you might not understand the specific implications of the policy and how it may affect your favorite players and teams.

The policy also takes a stab at possession of illegal steroid use in addition to use of illegal steroids. Players convicted for the possession of illegal steroids are subject to a 60-80 game suspension for the first offense and 120 games to one year for a second offense. A lifetime ban is on the table for a third offense. Players who are convicted of steroid distribution face tougher suspensions for the first offense and are subject to a lifetime ban after the first offense.

Penalties for amphetamine use are slightly less severe than for steroid use. Mandatory follow-up testing is dictated for the first offense with a 25 game suspension for the second offense. An 80 game suspension will be given for the third positive test and at the fourth offense the penalty is left up to the Commissioner, which could include a lifetime ban.

Under the previous policy, penalties were much less severe. For example, for a first offense a player would be subject to a 10-day suspension and then 30 days for a second offense. A third offense would rate a 60 day suspension. The new policy calls for a 50 game suspension for the first offense and a 100 game offense for the second offense. For a third offense the player will receive a lifetime ban. Additionally, after the first offense the player will be subjected to amphetamines testing as well as steroid testing. This is the first time the problem of amphetamine use will have been addressed by a policy with MLB. Under the old policy a player could not receive a lifetime ban until he had been hit with at least a fifth offense.

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He is a star in the making.

Fantasy Football Fans will want to remember the name Deion Branch. When preparing for your fantasy football drafts this summer, don't let the New England receiver slip too far in your ratings or in your round-by-round projections.

If you have 12-16 teams in your league, look to nab Branch in the seventh or eighth round. He will be a steal here, but if you wait longer, you may let an amazing sleeper get away. Branch is just the type of player that the men in my novel, The League, look to steal in their drafts.

Branch is small but quick, as evidenced by his 13-yard-per-catch career average. This was just his third year in the league, and he is certainly a star on the rise.

Branch's 35 catches and four touchdowns in 2004 may make him barely visible on many people's radar screens. Others may look for him to slip into the lower rounds, because of these modest numbers. Don't make this mistake.

Only the most astute talent evaluators will remember that Branch missed seven games. Even they, however, will remember his stellar performance in the Super Bowl, which earned him MVP honors. He tied a Super Bowl record with 11 catches for 133 yards. More impressive were his circus-style catches.

What I Know and Remember About Baseball - The Eyes Have It

Eating carrots to develop good eye sight is sound advise. Unfortunately there is a little more to developing how your eyes move in relation to playing Baseball. Albeit there are many persons with natural ability use their eyes in tracking there target, still the normal reaction is to move the entire head and in the worst case, the entire body.

Sit for a moment and pick two objects 5 to 10 feet away from you about 6 to 10 feet apart. You should be able to comfortably see both at the same time. Now pick one to focus on. As quick as you can, turn your head to the second object and note the time it takes to select it. Now, start with your original target, hold your head still and move your eyes only to the second target. Unless you have quick twitch muscles throughout your body like a Barry Bonds, you should have noticed that it takes much less time to move your eyes than it does your head. That is because your eyes can move up to 5 times faster than your neck.

The speed at which you tract a target relates to your brain how much information you gather about the target and the perceived speed of the target. Occasionally experts will discuss how great baseball hitters and fielders see the ball well enough to slow it down. By allowing your eyes to make the most of the movement you gather more information and the perceived speed slows down. You now have the information to react sooner, get into position quicker and let your developed eye - hand coordination complete the desired result.

Focus on the object, in our case a baseball, is easier and far more comfortable when you have given some time to teach your eyes what you expect of them. Active vision training is not difficult. As players progress and the speed increases, active vision is essential for the next phase, prediction.

When a pitcher hurls the ball at 90+ mph there is only a fraction of a second with which to pick up the ball and determine where to swing the bat. Some have theorized that the last two one hundredths of a second, when the ball meets the bat, even the best players cannot see that moment. So how do they hit it? The information presented by their vision helps their body predict where the ball will be. More information, better prediction, better batting average.

Baseball vision training does not have to be a grueling process. Simple exercises such as sitting still and tossing a ball in the air and catching it while keeping your head still is an excellent beginning. Then move on to standing with the baseball going higher. Mix it up with left to right movement bearing in mind to track the ball with your eyes only.

An advanced drill that is a lot of fun is to place a ball on three feet of string. Have your player lie flat on their back in a room where you can control the light. As a pendulum, swing the ball back and forth and give the catch command at which point your player grasps the ball quickly with both hands. To add difficulty, swing the ball then have your player close their eyes for a swing or two then give the command. Need more challenge, turn off the light and add a strobe light, laughter will ensue, but it really does work.

Vary the challenges of the drills and the speed of the strobe lights.

For those of the practical persuasion, visit a batting cage. Stand outside the net and mid length of the cage and have your player track the baseball from the machine to the plate. You can seehow the longer flight to follow enables a longer task to work from.

Baseballs, batting cages, rain dripping off the gutter even house flies; the act of being still and letting your eyes do the work will develop the players vision. The more they see, the easier everything becomes.

Mr. Dowdy is the father of 3 and after re-entering competitive baseball with his oldest frustration of finding suitable glove is what lead him to become an Official Distributor for Kelley Athletic Click now for a free catalog or sign up your e-mail for special offers.

You can also visit the Hirsch Group site more news/tips/articles on the subjects of baseball, construction, building codes and more that most will find a quick way to fall asleep.

Thanks for reading my article!

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Are you shopping for a gift for a female friend or loved one? Well, if you've got a bit of cash to spend, you would probably do well to look for gifts in the fashion area, and there are few things that are more fashionable than an authentic and genuine Coach handbag.

Coach handbags are a very coveted and desired item. Why are they so popular? Well, Coach is an established brand name manufacturer of fine handbags, luggage, and carrying accessories. Coach products run a little on the pricier side, but there are many places where you could purchase them for a slightly discounted price. Before we discuss where you can go to for Coach deals, let's talk about the history of Coach products.

They have been around for more than half a century in the United States of America. The legacy of Coach all started in Manhattan, New York. I bet you wouldn't have the least idea of what the object was that was the inspiration of the first Coach handbag. Well, believe it or not, it was a leather baseball catcher's glove or mitten. The craftsmanship of earlier leather baseball gloves does have a resemblance of Coach leather handbags in its grain and color and stitching. The next time you get a chance to examine an authentic Coach leather handbag or other type of accessory, try examining it to see the similarities between it and a leather baseball glove.

Well, now that you know a part of the history of Coach, where can you go to purchase these great designer accessories for less? Well, there are a few good in-store sales at certain times of the year, however there is a place that you can access from the comfort of your own home that can lead the way to great deals. The answer is the internet. Many online stores offer competitive pricing on a wide range of products including Coach handbags. If you would like to find great deals, try doing a Google search for the specific model or type you are looking for.

Coach Online Outlet Store features nearly every product that Coach makes. You'll be able to find Coach handbags and accessories for less than retail prices.