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Call 9-1-1 Our Strike Zone is Missing!

May 10th, 2012

First things first, this iconic image of Ted Williams (on display in Cooperstown) at bat should be imprinted upon our nation’s baseball conscience forever; he is, after all, possibly the last .400 hitter! All coiled-up and ready to spring, that stare alone, must have been an intimidating sight to opposing pitchers.

The chart, which shows Ted’s BA based on pitch location, has a huge, old-school, strike zone that only a baseball-parent sitting in drizzle on a Saturday morning could love. In today’s game, anything above the belt is a ball; imagine the rhubarb if a pitch above the hands were called a strike! In amateur baseball, the zone might start out this big at the lowest levels but as you move up, the zone shrinks down almost to the pro-level. Of course all the umpires in the stands know a good pitch when they see one but how many of you know what the rule book says about the strike zone?

The major league official rules define the zone as follows:

“The Strike Zone is that area over home plate the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the hollow beneath the kneecap. The Strike Zone shall be determined from the batter’s stance as the batter is prepared to swing at a pitched ball.”

Now, take another look at Ted and note the lines we’ve drawn on his back. That mid-line perfectly dissects the top ball in the zone – amazingly, the diagram accurately displays the modern strike zone, as defined in 2012. And since it’s a strike if any part of the ball hits the zone, you can pretty much add the width of the ball all the way around. We understand the game of baseball is more exciting when there is lots of action and we could write a book on all the factors affecting how and why balls and strikes are called, but that is for another day…

The best hitters have great plate coverage and can drive any pitch back where it came from and to all fields but even Ted had a trouble zone with the low and away junk. We’re not gonna go so far as to say we could have helped Ted out but knowing that all great hitters work hard at it, we can say that small-ball training with The MaxBP is the most efficient, safe and cost effective way to practice until your hands bleed. We guarantee it (not the hands bleeding part, that’s optional).

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Clown College and the Infield Fly Rule

May 1st, 2012

I’m always surprised to see players surprised when the infield fly rule is called and all hell breaks loose on the bases. It takes but one clown to trip the first insane-base-running domino when the ball hits the ground and all of a sudden, it seems like the circus is in town and the diamond is the center ring. Everyone involved with a baseball team should not only know the IFR but recognize when it is a possibility in real-time, during games. Those of you serious baseball people whose intelligence we have already insulted have to admit you’ve probably seen some confusing IFR scenarios in your day – read on.

(IFR 101) The spirit of the IFR is to protect the runners in a situation that clearly favors the defense, which could easily turn a double play on a cleverly or ineptly dropped ball. The rule is pretty simple:

IF a fair territory infield fly ball can be caught with ordinary effort
AND there are less than 2 outs
AND runners are on 1st/2nd or bases loaded, (<2o) & (2nd/3rd or BL)…

…The batter is declared out while the ball is in flight, the runners are not forced, and any advance is optional and follows the rules for a non-force play. The umpires should call out something like “infield fly – batter is out” and point to the sky to alert the players (see photo).

(IFR 201) We think of IFR madness being triggered by the ball on the ground but how can runners stay calm if they are not aware of the the situation in the first place? Where are the base coaches when you really need them? If they can be programmed to yell “make sure he goes home” on every full count with 2 outs, surely they could dish out a little love when the IFR is a possibility. The players don’t need to do a lot of thinking, which we know they’re good at; they just need to be aware of the IFR and plan to stay anchored if they hear the call! Base coaches need to be coached to alert runners; runners need to be alert to the IFR call.

(IFR 301) The IFR circus tent can pop-up quickly when the umpires DON’T call it so lets look at how the blue view it. First, it’s not the Infield Pop-Up Rule, the key word is “fly” which is defined as a ball in the air that is NOT a line drive, which is defined as a ball that is hit sharply and directly to a player. The tricky job for the umpires is to decide when a ball is a liner and when it is not, based on the arc; as soon as it’s not a liner, it’s a fly. Second, the umpire needs to decide if it can be caught with ordinary effort. The rule book doesn’t say ordinary effort by a pony leaguer, or a 50 year old with a bad ankle on a windy day, or ordinary for a first baseman who’s had a few too many double cheeseburgers – it just says “ordinary”. While the mile high pop-up is easy, the looper between first and second suddenly has the umpire on the spot as though his wife just asked him “does this make me look fat?” He can’t take a lot of time to answer the question, and like all calls, he’ll be wise to call it quickly and with authority; it is after all a judgment call that is final so really, if it is not obvious, then he should declare, “no, it does not make you look fat!”

Summary: Know the rule – Recognize the possibility – Look for the call.

(IFR – Extra Credit) There are other lesser know details about the IFR you might not know like: did you know a bunt cannot result in the IFR? Baseball rules are wise and proper so if the batter can’t lay down a good bunt, the offense isn’t about to be bailed out by the rules. The defense has the option to let the ball hit the ground and go for the dp but they can’t intentionally drop it, like any ball. Many of you know also that the ball does not have to remain in the infield as defined by grass/dirt lines and can be caught by an outfielder in the outfield, if it is just as easily caught by an infielder. Also, if the ball is not caught and rolls foul, it’s a foul just like any other ball but if it lands foul and rolls fair, the batter is out. A little more bonus Cracker Jack – there is a little known rule that if a ball lands beyond an imaginary line from 1st to 3rd base, it is fair even if it spins foul – we’ve never seen it. So there you have it, an advanced education on the Infield Fly Rule, we hope you’ve learned something today.

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Death of a pinch hitter…

April 27th, 2012

People who think baseball is boring just don’t get it but hey, that’s why they launch free t-shirts into the stands and hire grown men to race around the field in giant hot dog costumes because, you know, that’s entertainment. Me, I’m a sucker for any baseball game so it doesn’t have to be bases juiced in the bottom of the 9th to grab my attention because no matter what the situation, the conflict remains the same, “meat” out there on the hill is trying to sit down the punk at the plate…and there lies the beauty of the game. The batter is getting his long awaited chance and the pitcher is not giving in. It’s a drama that transcends the game – Willy Loman strikes out but Steve Jobs hits one out of the park and the Jeffersons, well…they’re up in the big leagues, gettin’ their turn at bat.

Long before Moneyball, there was still ERA and BA to measure success but it’s a different dynamic for pitchers and hitters. The pitcher is out there for the duration, defending his turf, for as long as he can, against a succession of challengers. The batter on the other hand has only a few moments to make something good happen. In fact, each at bat will only be 3 or 4 pitches and if a couple of those are “balls”, a batter might only see 1 fat pitch in an entire game, or none! A good hitter is the ultimate opportunist who is prepared to succeed under hostile conditions; he is ready for the best pitch he can get…do you see where we are headed here? There is nothing worse than wasted at-bats; poor swings at lousy pitches and quickly finding yourself back in the dugout wondering what just happened.

It’s the desire to maximize opportunity that puts the “Max” in MaxBP. You can wing it Biff or step in the box confident and ready to pull the trigger; those are the only 2 options. The MaxBP small-ball machine is the most effective and affordable way to safely and efficiently take endless BP and prepare to make the most of those precious game pitches. Try us out with confidence as we guarantee you’ll love our machines. And like a hitter always working to improve, so are we; new MaxBP options include:
Turbo switch for added velocity
Double-life battery packs for up to 8 hours of juice
Multiple curve settings for mixing it up
Multi-colored wiffles for advanced drills and training
Click link for new options
and pricing: http://store.maxbp.com/product_p/bp001.htm

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Whoa Nelly! Our error…

March 29th, 2012

Keith Jackson

Sometimes a routine grounder can go right through the wickets and you just have to give yourself a pat on the chest with a “my bad!”. In our last blog entry, Balk Rule Simplified part 2, we erroneously referred to the very great and comfortably retired Keith Jackson as the “late” great Keith Jackson.  We want to thank Greg from San Jose for being the first one to point out our mistake; Keith only retired in 2006, not, well, you know.  We wish Keith many more happy years and we’re not only sorry for the error, we’re sorry we don’t get the pleasure of hearing Keith do games anymore.

Like the note from Greg, we appreciate all the comments and feedback we’ve received from our recent blog posts.  If you enjoy these and are real baseball junkies, please check out our MaxBP facebook page for a diverse assortment of baseball nuggets and join our 13,000+ fan following:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/MaxBP/200441964460

While we have your attention, please keep an eye out for this weekend’s announcement of a brand new MaxBP product we are very excited about.  We’ve been working on some new technology and we’re ready to take it to the next level…

If you would like more information on The MaxBP or any of our products, call us at

(888) 99-MaxBP or visit us at www.MaxBP.com.
And just one more thing for all of you over 40, MaxBP can accurately report that Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead!

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Know the Rules! Balk Rule Simplified, Part 2, The Wind-up

March 27th, 2012

A few innings ago, we talked about pitching regulations from the stretch and today we’re following it up with part 2, pitching from the wind-up. There’s not too much to discuss until we have the pitcher in the wind-up and a runner on third breaks towards the plate, then we have a real “Whoa Nelly!” moment, as the great Keith Jackson used to say.  As in the stretch, the pitching regulations are as much about the feet as they are the arms.

Regarding feet, all you need to understand is the definition of the “pivot” foot,left foot for southpaw, right foot for right hander. Once intentionally engaged with the pitching plate, the only way to legally “step off” is by stepping backwards with the pivot foot first. This is assuming it is before the hands have come together and/or the hands have not been broken. This is typically where “innocent” balks happen by the pitcher stepping off with the wrong foot after he forgot about a runner and wants to switch to the stretch; we say “innocent” meaning the pitcher is not trying to deceive anyone but is just being a dope!

The pitching regulations above the waist kick in when the pitcher engages the rubber and our attention turns to what he is doing with his arms. This affects what is known as “time of pitch” or in other words, the point of no-return when the pitcher must deliver a pitch and does not have the option of stepping off. There is no restriction as to how he holds the ball but there are 3 ways to do this:

1. Engage pitching plate with both hands together, in front of his body.

2. Engage pitching plate with one hand in front, other hand down at side.

3. Engage pitching plate with both arms at side.

Bringing the hands together in the wind-up can be looked at the same way as you do in the set; the pitcher can legally step off before breaking the hands.  The problem scenario is situation 3 above:  moving both arms simultaneously typically will signify the start of the motion so it could be considered a balk if he then stops and steps off. It all depends on what his normal delivery is and if he typically pauses to take signs once bringing both hands together.  If the runner breaks for home as the pitcher brings both hands together and the pitcher stops and steps off, we’re not sure how any 2 umpires will rule as it’s a judgment call; once again, the riddle-mystery-enigma thing rears it’s ugly mug!

So while that is all fairly perfunctory (big word for the day), lets look at a few of the more obscure things that could happen to Ace out there on the hill:

  • If the ball slips out of the pitcher’s hands, if it does not cross the foul line, it is considered a balk with runners on base or no pitch if bases empty.  If it does cross the foul line then it is a legal pitch, a crappy one at that.
  • If a pitcher is ambidextrous, he must declare at the start of the at bat, which arm he will pitch with and stay with it for the entire at bat.
  • If a pitcher throws wild on a pick-off attempt initiated while engaged with the rubber, and the ball goes out of play, all runners advance one base, but if the pitcher steps off before throwing to kingdom-come, like lefty sometimes does, then he is just another bad infielder and the runners are awarded two bases.
  • Balks in pro ball are “delayed” so if the batter hits one out of the park, it’s a dinger.  In high school and college, the ball is dead as soon as the balk is called so if the batter knocks it out of the park, it means nada.
  • The hidden ball trick usually hinges on the pitcher completing some level of performance art to kill time in order to lull the runner to sleep.  The pro rule states “straddling” the rubber without the ball is a balk while the HS/College rule says being within 5 feet of the rubber without the ball is illegal.
  • While a pitcher cannot throw to an unoccupied base, he can legally throw to the next base to make a play on an advancing runner attempting to steal; this looks funny to anyone associated with the defense but it is legal.

This wraps up MaxBP’s public service announcements regarding pitching regulations; we hope it provided nourishing food for thought.  Teach your pitchers basic delivery fundamentals and we’re sure it will minimize balk trouble.  If you are not on our email list and would like to receive future blog entries and promos from us, please click on the link below to add your info.  We appreciate all the positive feedback and email sharing of our recent syndications.

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If you would like more information on The MaxBP or any of our products, call us at(888) 99-MaxBP or visit us at www.MaxBP.com.

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Watching baseball, when the runner is hit by a batted ball…

March 24th, 2012

In our last episode with Rocky the umpire, he was busy schooling us on the concept of the delayed dead ball following catcher’s interference.  We hope the tears have dried from that sad story because Rocky witnessed another rare one that MaxBP will share with you today…a runner who is hit by a batted ball…and is NOT out. What say you, you’ve never seen that…well then, read on…

We’ve all seen a ground ball towards short clip a too-clever-for-his-own-good-trying-to-screen-the-fielder runner; the umpire calls time, Einstein is called out and the batter is placed on first; no big deal!

Yes, that is how it usually goes down but what about this scenario: runner is on third and a chopper is hit down the third base line – the third baseman charges in and towards the line and misses the backhanded attempt on the short hop.  The runner who went back to third and is standing on the base is hit squarely in the back by the bounding fair ball. You make the call. Well obviously from our set-up you know that the answer is that the runner is NOT out because he was protected by being on the base right?  NO, not right – that’s the trick part of this question.  The only time a runner is protected from being called out while standing on a base and being hit by a batted ball is on the infield fly rule, but we digress.  No, the runner who was on third and hit is not out because he was behind the fielder who already had a chance to field the ball. The reason a runner is out in the usual scenario is because he denied the fielder the opportunity to get the job done and has thus, “interfered”.  Once the ball has passed any infielder (except the pitcher) or touched any infielder (including the pitcher) the runner will not be called out for interference if hit, provided, in Rocky the umpire’s judgment, that another fielder could have made an attempt.  Let’s say a ball was hit in the hole and went through the third baseman and hit the runner behind him advancing from second, he would be called out because the shortstop still could have had a play on this.  If it hits the pitcher, all bets are off and contact with the runner would be deemed as accidental and not interference (unless it was judged that the runner intentionally interfered) but that’s another conversation.

We’re not sure why we don’t see this scenario more often when the infield is drawn in and the runner’s might be screened by a fielder, but it just doesn’t seem to happen much.   In those rare cases, the ball is live and everyone advances at their own risk.  The same exact rules are in place if the umpire is hit but with an opposite effect on the game. Since Rocky the umpire out can’t call himself out, the offense gets the benefit of the doubt and the batter is awarded first base but using the same logic as above, if Rocky was hit down the first base line after the first baseman missed the play, the ball would still be live.  Runners and fielders beware, know the rules and when in doubt look for Rocky’s call.

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Just one more dying quail a week…

March 20th, 2012

Everybody has a favorite line or two from the classic baseball movie “Bull Durham” (1988); mine is not about candlestick holders or breathing through your eyes – it’s a poignant reflection by a career minor leaguer about the fine line between mediocrity and greatness as he ponders what might have been.  Our hero, Crash Davis, explains:

“You know what the difference is between hitting .250 and .300?  I got it figured out.

Twenty-five hits a year in .500 at bats is 50 points.  Okay?  There are 6 months in a season, thats about 25 weeks – you get one extra flair a week – just one – a gork, a ground ball with eyes, a dying quail.  Just one more dying quail a week and you’re in Yankee Stadium.“

While that may be the rationalization of a guy who didn’t make it, fictitous at that, we know that in real life the seperation of mediocrity and greatness is not left to luck and randomness over time but preperation and hard work. When it comes to hitting, tiny variations in timing, quickness and coordination yield huge gains and losses; who hasn’t mumbled those famous words, “just missed it!” And while the mental aspect of hitting is so important, it’s a layer built on top of a solid foundation of good mechanics and muscle memory.  It gets exponentially harder to move up the ladder of professional baseball but for amatuer players, the opportunity to be better than the next guy is there for the taking and we know The MaxBP small ball machine can pay huge dividends to that end.  Everyone knows how difficult and inefficient batting practice is on the diamond and how expensive and time consuming batting cages can be so when we demo the MaxBP, we see big eyes and smiles.   The MaxBP provides endless batting practice that is safe, challenging, fast paced and affordable. Our portable and lightweight machine thows curves, softtoss and fastballs up to 70 mph at release.  We always stand by our machine with a satisfaction guaranty and 2 year warranty.  If you make one training purchase this spring, make it the product with the biggest bang for the buck, The MaxBP. This sounds like a Yogi-ism, but I swear it’s ours, there is no easier way to work hard at hitting. MaxBP is a JUGS reseller as well so call us for all your hitting equipment needs.

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Know the Rules! Balk Rule Simplified, Part 1

March 16th, 2012

My good buddy Gene, a crusty, grey bearded attorney who ran the Brookline Tigers senior league team back in Boston, use to gripe over post game refreshments that the balk rule was “expletive-expletive Byzantine”, a riddle wrapped in mystery inside an enigma!  While there is no singular “balk rule”, there are pitching regulations that go back to 1845 and have evolved ever since, most notably when Whitey Herzog complained that Bert Blylevin got away with 19 balks in the ‘87 World Series.  A change in the wording to define a stop resulted in umpires calling a record number of balks in ’88, over 500 in the American League alone.  While we all know an obvious balk when we see one, who can say they fully understand the pitching regulations and can list the alleged 39 ways to balk?  The MaxBP guys paused and set and found a great way to look at this; rather than focus on all the ways to break the rules, we flipped the conversation upside down to realize that if you understand the pitching requirements, then its a much easier thought process to identify everything else as a balk.  Pitching from the set involves 4 simple steps: ONE: Intentionally engage the pitchers plate, TWO: Stretch, THREE: Set, FOUR: Pitch or Don’t Pitch – simple right?

1. Engage with pivot foot on or in front of rubber, free foot entirely in front,pitching arm down at side or behind back, ball in glove or throwing hand

2. The Stretch is the motion before the set.  The pitcher is free to make any natural movements not associated with his delivery, like wiping off sweat, adjusting cap, turning to check on runner, waving glove to shake off catcher

3. The Set is when the pitcher brings both hands together before the pitch.  The transition to set must be in one continuous and uninterrupted motion. The pitcher must must make a discernable stop before pitching.

4a. Step towards home and pitch

4b. Step off directly backwards with pivot foot (pitcher become infielder)

4c. Step towards and throw to any base in effort to pick off a runner

4d. Step towards and feint to occupied 2nd/3rd base, cant fake to first

The rules set out to establish a standard protocol so everyone knows how the pitch or pickoff is supposed to go down.  Any deviation is considered an effort to trick the runner and is a balk. While you pitch with your arm, a proper step in the right direction is a key to following the rules.  There is one other specific requirement, that if the pitcher swings his free foot behind the back edge of the rubber, he must pitch or attempt a move to 2nd.

So, given these simple requirements, why is there so much dispute around balk calls and non-calls?

Was that a stop or simply a change of direction?   Did the lefty step towards first or was it more towards home?  Did the free foot go behind the rubber?  Did the pitcher step properly before throwing?  These judgments by the umpire are not as black and white as safe/out, strike/ball and in an effort not to over-umpire, most blue have to be 100% sure an action is a balk before stopping the game and awarding bases.  The more that is left to interpretation, the more leeway coaches and fans have to see what they want to see, something that favors their team. Additionally, the umpire must take into account each pitcher’s natural delivery and intent (remember Luis Tiant) so the interpretations and subsequent call might vary not only from umpire to umpire but from pitcher to pitcher and situation to situation. In amateur ball most balks are not the result of deception and inconsequential to the action so unless it’s a grievous violation, it is usually ignored in a backwards kind of way to maintain the integrity of the game.

So considering the pitching regulations, umpire judgment, varying natural deliveries as well as pitcher intent within the  context of the game’s several hundred pitches, its not so much a riddle wrapped around a mystery inside an enigma but a……….Dang…Gene in Boston was right!

Coming soon, part 2, pitching regulations from the windup.

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2012 MLB news

March 13th, 2012

Ozzie Guillen was ejected in a spring training game yesterday so it must be time to get ready for the MLB season.  Here is a quick update on what you might have missed over the winter.

Meet the New Boss: Ozzie Guillen is already stirring things up for the Miami Marlins replacing Jack McKeon who has retired for the last time.  Robin Ventura replaces Guillen for the White Sox and should be able to avoid headlocks and noogies from Nolan Ryan by staying in the dugout.  Also in Chicago, Mike Quaid is out for the Cubs and Dale Svuem is in.  Bobby Valentine quietly replaced Terry Francona for the small market Red Sox and finally, Tony La Russa, who went out on top with the Cards, gives way to Mike Matheny.  Matheny, at 40, will be the youngest manager in the bigs and continues the tradition of smart-guy catchers who go on the become major league managers.

Big $$$ Free Agent Signings: Albert Pujols to the Angels (10 yrs/$245m),

Prince Fielder to the Tigers (9 yrs/$214m), Jose Reyes to the Marlins (6 yrs/$102m), CJ Wilson to the Rangers (5 yrs/$77.5m), Jonathan Papelbon to the Phillies (4 yrs/$50m)

AARP Signings:   Omar Vizquel (45) signs a minor league deal with the Blue Jays, Jim Thome (41) returns to the Phils, Jason Giambi (41) will give it another go in Colorado, Takashi Saito (42) and Henry Blanco (40) sign with the D’Backs.

WHY WON’T ANYONE SIGN RICKY? He looks good to go in the above photo with MaxBP GM Neil McConnell taken last month in Arizona

Hangin’ em Up: Jason Veritek, Tim Wakefield, Craig Counsell, Jorge Posada,Ivan Rodriquez (unofficial), Mike Cameron, JD Drew, Pat Burrell and Orlando Cabrerra…lots of rings there; also the league is taking a big hit on HoF caliber catchers but the time, she has come.

Season Opener: Seattle @ Oakland, March 28th, Tokyo Dome

New Playoff Format: There will be an additional wild card team from each league in 2012 bringing the total number of playoff teams to 10. The change is expected to keep more teams in the race till the end plus some one-and-done drama to start the playoffs with the one game wild-card round.  This means it’s possible for a team from the AL West to finish 3rd in a 4 team division and win the World Weries – that’s progress for ya.

These are just some of the interesting stories from around MLB as we enter the 2012 season.  If you are not on our email list and would like to receive future news and promos from us, please click on the link below to add your info.  We appreciate all the positive feedback and email sharing of our recent syndications.

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