Eastbay Baseball Size Plastic Balls

Regulation size perforated hollow plastic balls are safe, long lasting and tough.

John Smoltz has been an Atlanta Brave for around 20 years now and is in my eyes along with Chipper Jones of course the face of the Atlanta Braves. John Smoltz was aquired from the Detroit Tigers for Doyle Alexander in 1989. The Tigers got a few good years out of Alexander while the Braves are still getting good seasons out of John Smoltz. Smoltz had many good years to come when he started pitching for the Braves back in 1989, although there were a few rough seasons.

The 89' and 90' seasons where building blocks for Smoltz and the Braves. In 1991 they won the 1st of 14 straight division titles all with Smoltz pitching in some form or fashion for the Atlanta Braves. Smoltz has not always been a starting pitcher though. He had some arm problems a few years back and he and the management of the Braves decided it would be less stress on his elbow if he tried being a Closer. So now one of the Best starting pitchers of the 1990's was being turned into a dominant closer that only had to pitch 1 to 2 innings a night and just master a few pitches instead of worry about setting up a whole game with many different pitches and speeds.

Smoltz was very successful as a closer and was probable the most dominant closer the Braves had had in years and probably the best in the majors during that era. Smoltz decided that he wanted to go back to what he new best as a starting pitcher about 3 seasons ago and is still going strong into the 2008 season.

Atlanta Braves Fan Blog

Atlanta Braves Info: http://www.bravesinfo.blogspot.com

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The Natural

Nothing was going to stop Roy Hobbs from fulfilling his boyhood dream of baseball superstardom. Robert Redford stars in this inspiring fable that begins when 14-year-old Hobbs (Redford) fashions a powerful bat from a fallen oak tree. He soon impresses major league scouts with his ability, fixing his extraordinary talent in the mind of sportswriter Max Mercy (Duvall), who eventually becomes instrumental in Hobbs' career. But a meeting with a mysterious woman shatters his dream. Years pass and an older Hobbs reappears as a rookie for the New York Knights. Overcoming physical pain and defying those who have a stake in seeing the Knights lose, Hobbs, with his boyhood bat, has his chance to lead the Knights to the pennant and to finally fulfill his dream.
Customer Review: Inferior version of classic baseball movie / Good documentaries
Some movies are better left untinkered with. The original film version of "The Natural" is a beloved sports masterpiece, no matter how muddled the opening scenes may appear. For some reason, Director Barry Levinson re-worked the entire opening sequence and created a completely different feel for the movie closer to his "original vision". For those who have never seen the original version, this version might be adequate. But being familiar with the original, this version comes across to me as a lame attempt to cash in on a 25th Anniversary Edition. Several classic, important shots and lines are scrubbed from the original and replaced with new footage, giving the movie a chopped-up feeling that never goes away. And the opening sequence is still not easy to follow. I would have been OK with this new version if it included the original as well, but instead you're forced to hang onto both versions for the time being. Watch them both and compare, but in the end you'll reach for the original version every time you're in the mood to watch this great baseball film about life's redemptions. One positive, the bonus disc provides excellent insight and footage into the making of this film, and is worth the price alone.
Customer Review: Great Movie!
This is definitely a movie you can enjoy as a couple, great story not only for baseball fans but also for the love story fans. I love this movie!

I'm sure most of you have worked with batters who constantly bail out of the batters box no matter what. It seems that this player will begin his bail out before he even really knows where the pitch is going. Here is a drill to try that may have some impact; I'm not saying it is a cure for this problem. It will get the hitter to look first at least before they start their getaway.

Start out using tennis balls for this drill. Have the batter get into the box, and throw some pitches behind them. This should get the batter to realize that they can't just blindly back out of the box, because in youth baseball, they will see pitches behind them, only not on purpose! This will give the timid batter some level of comfort by making them feel safer at the plate. This will get the hitter to really focus on the ball, which is what we want them to do anyway. Throw lots pitches to them, this is not a quick fix method but it should begin to help. After some time, the hitter will begin to notice that they don't have to duck away from good pitches. They will stay put and try to hit the ball instead. You can also have the hitter take a bunch of short strides toward whichever side of the field you need them to. Have them over compensate to begin with, because you know when a pitch comes they will most likely start to move back out in to middle which is closer to our goal anyway.

You can also have the batter just stand in the box when you have a pitcher and catcher warming up. Tell them just to follow the ball into the catcher's glove. This will let them relax some with out the stress of having to hit the ball. Learning how to hit a baseball is a difficult skill to master anyway. When your player is afraid of the ball is makes it much harder to learn to hit. Youth baseball players will respond to good teaching techniques when properly applied. Make sure not to embarrass the player, and do not tolerate any other players doing so.

Coaching youth baseball at any level is great privileged, so get all the info you can. Make sure you are kind and patient even if you don't feel like it at the time. I commend anyone would will take the time and responsibility to coach youth baseball, we need more like you.

Thanks Coach Chip Lemin 440 465 3337

Hello My name is Chip Lemin. I'm a long time youth baseball coach who loves to promote this great game of youth baseball. Promoting sportsmanship in this game of youth baseball is something that really needs I feel. I have a free course that will give you some solid coaching information along with great help on the inter-personal relationships we must have to be good youth baseball coaches.

Things such as parents, travel baseball, getting parents to help out, how to communicate better to parents and players, just to touch on a few. This course will help to organize practices like an elite coach. How to motivate players and other coaches with your positive attitude. It really is not very hard to be a great coach when you know what to do.Best of all you will learn how to have fun with these great kids that you have the privilege of coaching. Do yourself a favor and check it out, it's free,you will get 1 part every couple of days in your e-mail. Coaching can be fun and rewarding if you have a plan in place first, and you have an idea what you are doing. I would like to help you.

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Sunglasses Wrap Style X6 UV400 Lens for Baseball, Softball, Cycling, Golf, Kayaking and All Active Sports

JiMarti Sunglasses combine two functions: 1) Protect the eyes from the harmful UV spectrum of sunlight, and 2) Make a fashion statement. Sunglasses are a fashion accessory which must look stylish and elegant. Sunglass products offered by JiMarti will take good care of your vision, protecting your eyes from harmful sun rays. These sunglasses feature UV400 Lens Technology, absorbing over 99% of harmful UVA and UVB spectrums. Sunglasses comply with ANSI Z80.3 (USA UV Protection standard) and comply with 89/686/EEC and CE (European directives). Some of our products come with Polarized lenses which remove glare, thus promoting safe driving, boating, and also allowing you to see into the water while fishing. Our shades are an ultimate fashion statement at affordable prices! Comfortable, and appropriate for any occasion or activity, these new sunglasses from JiMarti are guaranteed to make heads turn. The Styles we offer are designed for both women and men. We carry a broad selection of sports and casual eyewear at our Storefront Location, so you search JiMarti and go right to us. We inventory multiple styles, colors, and price ranges for Immediate Delivery thus insuring that everyone will find a pair they like at Value Pricing.
Customer Review: Great glasses
Exactly what I was looking for and exactly what the picture showed. Have now bought classes for my whole summer league baseball team.

Before there were any batting cages or tees to teach hitting techniques through baseball training, there was simply a ball and a baseball bat. Just picture someone cutting down a big tree and cutting it in a long enough length to shave it down so a person could swing it. At 2.75 inches in diameter and no heavier than 36 ounces, someone finally did many years ago.

However, it wasn't constructed with curves and smooth areas for the simple look. There was aerodynamics involved so you could swing the baseball bat with speed and precision to get hits and eventually try to round the bases and score. Could you imagine if this never turned out that way and you went up to bat with a 10lb log? Baseball drills during practice would definitely take their toll.

There are several kinds of bats constructed by several companies, but wooden bats are the only kind available to use in Major League Baseball. There are criteria or should we say rules that everyone has to abide by including cork-less bats. This means adding a substance within the bat to make it lighter and create faster bat speeds. Many professional players use them for batting drills but are not allowed to use them during league play. More for entertainment purposes then actual baseball training.

While the wooden bat is for the grand central stage, it's the metal alloy ones that youngsters use all over the country, starting as small as tee-ballers all the way up to the collegiate men in the College World Series. As children growing into adults, a metal bat helps with hitting and is a lot more forgiving then your traditional baseball bat. There are areas where normally, you wouldn't be able to strike the ball far with a wooden style, but metal will allow it.

If you are fortunate enough to try the next time you are practicing, take out both types of baseball bats. Try a few different things to get a proper feel as to what might be comfortable and what might not. Hitting off a tee one day and possibly hitting the batting cages later that day will show you the difference.

In baseball drills, it's not just about swinging, running, and scoring when hitting comes to mind. It's also about learning how to stand in the box, testing different kinds while using open stances, closed stances, shorter strides and more. Then you have to find the bat that gives you a sense of security. That feeling that it's your lucky bat or maybe your best friend you're taking up there to the plate. It may sound funny, but sports brings superstitions to many and routine is one of them. Most like to use the same bat every time during their baseball training. Do you?

More about baseball training on baseballtrainingsecrets.com

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Fenway Park Poster (3700)

Officially licensed MLB Posters

Baseball and life have a lot of similarities. I know what you are thinking, yea right, it's simply a game involving a bat and a ball. What can that possibly teach us? I am here to tell you what it can teach you. Not only baseball, but other sports as well.

Growing up I couldn't see the similarities with baseball and life. I simply knew that a game was on and lets go play! But as time has evolved and I have gone on to other things, only now can I reflect and look at what the game of baseball has taught me.

Baseball and life are similar. I think the first thing it taught me was personal interaction. How to deal with teammates and how to work together towards a common goal. We all wanted to win together, but we also experienced defeat together. We learned how to deal with defeat and how to rise above it. How to keep on trying every out, every game. We didn't know it at the time, but we were learning valuable skills that would carry over to other facets of our lives.

It also taught me how to deal with one-on-one situations. You against the pitcher in the batter's box with the game on the line. You strike out and the game is over. How did you handle this on a personal level? It taught you that you will overcome even in the eyes of defeat. It teaches you how to handle defeat amongst your peers and what you will do to be better next time. Baseball and life are similar, they are just on different stages.

How about your hitting? You fail seven out of ten times and you are a three hundred hitter and a hero. You fail eight out of ten times and you are only hitting two hundred. One extra hit per ten at bats can propel you from hero status to the goat status. How do you deal with defeat when you are only hitting two hundred? Do you throw in the towel or do you put your best effort forward, hold your head high, and carry on with great determination?

Baseball and life teaches us that everyone fails at some point. What matters is not giving up. What matters is getting up and you keep pounding the rock. And while you are pounding the rock, without even knowing it, you are gaining character, desire, determination, and that great spirit that will carry over into life skills.

When I reflect back and try to understand what I learned from this game, I can now see what it has taught me. I know I can handle any situation, because I know how to get back up and move forward. I can deal with personal one-on-one situations, because baseball taught me that.

I know if it doesn't go just right, there is always tomorrow and the prospect of better things. I can handle defeat because I know it is only an opportunity for success later. And an opportunity for me to learn along this road called life.

Yes, baseball has taught me how to be in life, how to handle the ups and the downs, how to be a better person, and how to go out and get what I want in life. It is a grand game in so many ways!

Baseball for me was a stepping stone to my career now. Yes, I accomplished a lot in baseball, but it is where I am now that matters to me and baseball helped me get here.

I am now a captain with the Tucson Fire Department and a paramedic. I have the opportunity to save lives and affect them in a positive way. I deal with tragedy, as well as the overwhelming emotion when saving a life. How do I handle these pressure situations when faced with real emergencies?

I can look back and know that baseball taught me life skills and the ability to handle success as well as defeat. I know that I put my best foot forward each day. Somedays will be enriched with reward, and some with tragedy, but I will keep the course and give it my all. Baseball taught me that. And I hope it can help you as well. Please email me with any thoughts or questions.

Bill Bathe- former major league baseball player who played in 1989 world series. Former instructors include Eddie Matthews, Harmon Killebrew, Billy Williams, and Dusty Baker to name a few. Just click on Baseball drills and baseball equipment to go to his website which provides drills, equipment, information and tips. Also, digital online video analysis, equipment, posters, and more. In addition, stories and pictures on the journey to the big leagues. Or email him at http://www.pro-baseball-drills-and-equipment.com/contact-us.html

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