VanillaAfro.com

[SS]

Look, there is no hiding the fact that we are a very, very good softball team now. But, the simple fact is we were in a do or die, final game of the tournament, winner take all situation…… and we got SHUT OUT in slow pitch softball!!!! That’s a pretty bad choke job, if you ask me! So, what happened? Well, I just think we faced a very tricky pitcher & we didn’t adjust well to him. He put a weird, helicopter-like spin on the ball that made it seem like the ball would never come down. And because of this, we were impatient & swung early, which caused tons of pop outs!

And I am not trying to point any fingers, because I will be the first one to admit that I personally hit like shit in the 2-game championship series. But I realized what I was doing wrong (I wasn’t waiting for the ball to come completely down), and hopefully won’t allow that to happen again. That’s the point of the post. Everyone should always be re-evaluating their approach at the plate. And be open to suggestion, because sometimes the most minor adjustment can make a world of difference.

So, here are 2 very simple & effective hitting tips for anyone who would like to improve their production at the plate. And JCASS, no need to read on because your swing is flawless, especially when it comes to these 2 suggestions. (I personally used to have both of these flaws in my swing. But, since I am a loser who thinks 10x’s more about softball than sex, I have corrected these pointless bad habits in my approach):

1.) TWO hands on the bat at the end of the swing = LINE DRIVE!!! While on the other hand (excuse the most pathetic pun ever), ONE hand on the bat at the end of the swing = FLY OUT!!! This is not an exact science, but a well defended hitting fact. It’s really just simple logic! TWO hands on the bat at the end of the swing forces the hitter to bring his back hand (that would be the right hand for righties & vice-versa) over through his swing. It is this bringing of the back (or top) hand over in a softball swing that causes the hitter to have a “Level Swing.” Just watch Cassidy. He does this better than anyone. He keeps his hands entirely back until the last possible second & then completely swings through the ball with both hands on the bat forming an absolutely picture-perfect level swing. You never see Cass fly out! If the outfielder catches it, its only because his line drive just hung up a little. It’s NEVER the deep fly to left that’s in the air FOREVER, which is the trademark out for some of the UPPER-CUTTING, ONE HAND on the bat at the end of the swing hitters on our team!! (Of course, the new, calm SS will not be naming names!)
2.) Hands ABOVE the shoulders when waiting to swing = WASTED MOTION!!! (Think Julio Franco’s batting stance) In fact, a lot of big leaguers have this flaw in their stance. However, they are able to overcome it with LIGHTNING FAST SWINGS! Also, they probably developed this flaw of having their hands really high in the air at a young age & because of the fact that they were still EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL, didn’t see the need to change. If it ain’t broke, why fix it!! But since we aren’t MAJOR LEAGUE HITTERS, we should at least consider lowering our hands to shoulder level before we swing. Think about it: No matter how high your hands are before you swing, they MUST come back down in order to swing! This is wasted motion. Now, I know we have PLENTY of time for our hands to come back down because we play slow pitch softball, but WHY do it if you don’t have to??? You want as much balance in your stance as possible. And this wasted motion of bringing your hands down before you swing will affect any hitter’s balance. Try standing up with your hands high in the air. Now, bring them down quickly to the side of your body. You will feel the slightest shift of weight between your left and right feet. Even though it’s very subtle, your still not as balanced as you would be if you just stood there still! So, eliminate the bat waggling & the hands above your head (Your not Gary Sheffield, Quinny! Wait…. I just named a name! Oops! Well, I just think TQ that if you had your hands back at shoulder level instead of real high in the air over your head, you would have more time & balance to use that perfectly chiseled, 240 lbs. of horse-power that you call your body to crush the ball!! Just a suggestion. And trust me, he isn’t the only one with this flaw. How about the 2007 Bensalem Home Run Derby Champ!! That big upper cut swing is fine when hitting 8 HR’s in a row to come back and beat your much better looking older brother. But, when the opposing team actually has outfielders to catch those towering flys, 9 times out of 10 its just gonna be a very long out!!!

[ted williams]

dear calm ,cool and collected...
while your dedication to your craft is unsurpassed your info is wrong, wrong ,wrong...The 2 best hitting gurus ever Tedddy W. and Charlie Lau both are of the mind set your hand is released on follow thru...And most experts myself included will tell you there is no right/proper stance or swing pattern...Look at Yaz hands at ear level,Pujouls deep crouch,Morgan chicken flap,ty Cobb had his hands seperated on bat yet hit .367 for career...Mike Piazza the perfect inside out swing reminesent of the great J cass and T Gleason is a fine example of a "bad swing" perfected...So boys be relaxed in box want to be up not hoping for someone else to deliver the blow...Go on to the promised land oh great "MOON PLATOON" QUINNY IS A STUD!!!!!

[SS]

Let’s not try to compare the swings of players on our softball team to those of Major League greats. My tips are very minor adjustments that will help the many on our team that have glaring flaws in their approach at the plate. It’s my opinion that me, Cass, Greenwald, Glea, Braun, & Juddy have very good softball swings. I think DeNofa is right there too, but at times gets a little lazy with a touch of upper-cutting. I also think Keith & Sparks swing the bat pretty well, but just don’t have the power of some of the bigger players on our team. So, I’ll just name the remaining few players on our team & my suggestions on how they could improve as an all-around hitter.

Matt Smith: Is a tall & very, very strong person. Has the power in his swing to hit the ball as far as anyone on the team. However, he does have an upper-cutting swing that causes him to fly out deep to left a lot. It is my opinion that if he focused on having both hands on the bat as he follows through with his swing, he will become a more consistent line-drive hitter. With the 2-handed follow through, he will still hit the occasional bomb. But, I think he will hit a lot more solid singles & doubles; and a lot less deep fly outs. I also think he should stop the wasted motion of moving the bat around when he’s waiting for the pitch to come. I think he should just stand there patiently still with his hands back in the hitting position, waiting to explode on the ball.

Kevin Wolf: Very similar in size & stature to Smitty. I think if he lowered his hands, kept them back, followed thru w/ 2 hands on the bat, & waited for the ball to come down; he might be the best hitter on the team! Also, I think he has to stand deeper in the batter’s box & lay off of the high pitches.

Quinny: Has the most wasted motion on the team. He is always wagging his bat with his hands way above his head. TQ is actually very strong, but I don’t think he even puts half of his power into his swing because off his lack of balance at the plate. With his hand down & still, I think he would find himself on base much, much more.

Brian Wolf: He is the lightest player on the team. But, he does have a nice line-drive swing. He just doesn’t get any power into his swing at all. I think he stands too tall at the plate. He doesn’t get any power from his legs in his swing. If he crouched down some & really stepped into the pitch, I think he would generate a lot more force into his pretty solid swing.

[shoeless joe jackson]

Mr.SS;
Jr. as usual you make fine pts... im wondering if the callus's one aquires being a superb fielder such as yourself and J Cass dont help one become an outstanding hitter...my pt. being your 2 fine examples of power hitting under achieving flyball hitting machines are also to say the least defensive liabilities....maybe there is a relationship between half- hearted "D" and lazy strokes...And while TQ was once a pent- up sexually repressed he-man now that he is a 5x's a day stallion I doubt he will retain his outlandish power..

[Smitty Student]

I will take your ideas under consideration. I want to establish a consistent approach to my swing where it is actually a routine that I do when I go to the plate. I am just not too sure about the two hands on the bat for me, I feel like I would lose a lot of power in my swing if I did that but getting my hands back and waiting on the ball is something I definetly need to do. I will give it a shot and continue working on it and maybe someday Keith will bat me higher than 9th.
Also as far as my definisively liable ass. Smitty errors this year including first two games and all the games at the tourney equal zero. I am constantly trying to improve myself at fist base as well. I love softball as much as anyone and glad that our team is winning and taking it seriously. I am guranteeing a stellar performance at Sunday's double-header. Which just so everyone understants the dedication I have for softball, Sunday is actually my one year wedding anniversary, which I convinced Dina to wait until I am finished playing for us to go away for the night.

............and shoeless joe and other old people that I have never seen play..eat a dick!!

[Loyal & Non-Sarcastic]

Congrats on the 1-year anniversary, Smitty! I know you will dedicate your countless hits & impeccable defense this Sunday to the love of your life. And, I'm glad you mentioned that it's your anniversary this Sunday! Because that reminded me that the following Sunday is me & Dina's 1 year anniversary of the affair we started a week after you got married!!! And I have big plans for the 2 of us that following Sunday night. Busch Pounders & a 1 night stay at the luxurious Hub Motel (the Busch Pounders will be obviously followed by non-stop Wolf Pounding!) Thanks for the reminder Smitty, and enjoy your anniversary!

P.S. Smitty is the overwhelming favorite to win the Full Moon's "Most Improved Player" Award strictly based on his new-found defensive prowess!! We should all mimic his dedication & try to improve on the weak spots in our own game! Everyone, with the lone exception of myself, could find some weakness(es) to improve upon!!

[Don Mattingly]

as a person of limited dexterity and athletism I to was forced to 1st base..While not a position of difficulty such as 2nd-ss-3rd- or catcher 1st is a importantant position!!!It should be taken seriously....low - wide- high throws are expected to be caught not waved at and stopped only by a fence.... as to most improved i suppose that may be true due to the fact most are/were already superb fielders...re-j.cass-j wolf...as with batting one has to take the approach of wanting the ball hit to them not wishing it hit else where... play ball like Johnny G he wants to be up with the game on the line......He hopes every play goes thru him!!!!if your afraid of sucess dont worry you'll never find it anyway!!!!


DONNY BALLGAME

[Bad Shortstop Claus]

That’s very sweet you geriatric, granola-eating great-granddaddy greenwald!! (That’s some alliteration for your annoying, arrogant, aging ass!!)…. Just kidding…. I just wanted to throw another alliteration out there! BUT, LET ME GET BACK TO MY POINT!! I do think it is very sweet that you “hope every play goes thru you,” but I can’t say the feeling is mutual. That is why we throw your ass in the most pointless & meaningless position on a softball diamond: CATCHER! If we could actually find a chimpanzee that could hit as well as you could, then I would have to start bringing bananas to the game to keep our new starting catcher up on his potassium!! I still cringe at the thought of you occasionally playing in the outfield for our Longshot team. You do catch it when it comes right to you (which is a lot more than my intoxicated younger sibling does), but 3rd base coaches for our opponents already start sending the runner home even though he hasn’t even touched 1st base yet if you actually have to move more than 3 ft. for a ball in any direction!

Oh….and as for your General Managing skills, you rank right up there with the great visionaries like Matt Millen & Ed Wade!! Even though your recent addition made some real stellar diving (lol) catches in the outfield (those pop outs he heroically gave his body up for that may have actually caused me to fall into a deep, peaceful sleep if I had been in LCF because of all the time I would have spent waiting & waiting for the ball to come down as I camped under it for what would have seemed like a millennium)….. I digress….he still managed to put his glorious 0-19 day at the plate behind him to come up big in the clutch!! (What a big single with 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th with us down 8-0!! I can’t believe his “coming through with the game on the line” base hit didn’t spark a comeback!! I guess we all just buckled under the pressure! Oh well….. I still think Doug was a hell of a guy!!

PS. I am very sorry for this uncalled-for outburst! I will now go back to being calm & peaceful shortstop again!

[Smitty Hitter]

Just a side note.. I was to bat after Doug he would of happened to get a hit. I gurnatee that I would of hit in the clutch b/c I have shown that time and again. But I want to thank Keith for batting me behind a complete stranger to our team eventhough I hit well on Saturday. So nice job Keith!
Smitty out!

[john scherholtz]

dear Misguided Youth;

A) a strong armed of-er who throws to the wrong base--misses cutoffs is a hinderence as much as a help,,,,for the occassionel runner thrown out at 3rd or home the continued advancement of other runners causes the big inning rather than a one run inning.....

B)I will state again for the naive in you kids....If my boy Dougie showed up on a consistent basis he would be and is the best player to ever wear a FULLMOON jersey..ive been a part of his body of work which exceeds anything any MOONER can put on the table...PERIOD!!!!A day does not a career make..Ive played on truly great teams with Mr.Reilly and assure you he's the real deal...5 tools Those who point to a one day of above average hitting( for them---I wouldn't be hANGING MY HAT ON SO MEDIOCRE a so called good day of hitting) well if thats your best Im elated to have been a part of your GREAT day...

C)A man who minimizes a good catcher is very shortsighted...watch the dregs other teams put there...look as balls rattle around a cage...peer in as the catcher says nothing as a pitcher stands on the mound not backing up throws as he should...allow an idiot to stand back there saying nothing when perfect OF throws are cutoff for no apparent reason...

D)great OF ers glide to the ball ...diving is and always should be a last gasp effort....a one hop single beats a misguided dive attempt triple...again like poorly wrong judged throws to the wrong base ---high risk --low reward.....in closing smart well trained athletes know good solid "D" keeps games low scoring....its easier as an offense to score 7 runs than 10...look no farther than our loses sat..to see what happens when a team played good fundemental "D" against us....REILLY RULES!!!




E)love you guys,dispite being old-slow in the OF--weak armed--equal or less important than a chimpanzee---talent blind---its still an honor to close out a 25 titled career than a fine group of kids.....

[Joe Wolf]

Let me try to sum this up very quickly & succinctly. I can play 1B much better than him. I can play 2B much better than him. I can play SS much better than him. I can play 3B much better than him. I can play LF much better than him. I can play LCF much, much, much, much, much, much, much better than him! I can play RCF much better than him. I can play RCF much better than him. I can play catcher much better than both of you! I, if I cared to try, could pitch much better than him. I can hit for average much better than him. I can hit for power much better than him. I can hit to all fields much better than him. I can run much faster than him. And, I am much more athletic than him. SO…………………………… I think what I am trying to say is……………..I AM MUCH BETTER THAN HIM! Glad I could sum that up briefly for you!

[HIM]

I currently play for the full moon 1 team!
I think Smitty is better than me too!!
LOL

[him]

trips to softball nationals-counntless------0 1 national title----0
modified/fastpitch titles----numerous---0
city championships--several----0

love your game.....enjoy your self confidence....Im not talking Judd Buechler/Bulls Luis Sojo/Yankees Bunny Larouque/Canadiens

D.R. has been invited onto these teams ,great teams by virtue of his great hitting(clutch) super fielding,smart overall team 1st play...Any talk of better players would be a mute point...While I enjoy a game of softball (Arch 6-12) when comparing a modified/fast pitch championship to a slow pitch is assinine!Fast pitch is a game featuring balls thrown with movement/speed/location etc...Arc is T-ball for adults...These lgs.feature former /present baseball players,the games feature bunting-stealing hit and runs, straegy in otherworlds talent ,athletism....Having played with Mr.Reilly on nationals teams,city champs,Jew Y lge. champs,Forrest Hills champs,Lawncrest champs,Pollock lg.---N-Hampton--Phila.Classic to name several not close to all I know from viewing with my own 2 eyes what he can and cant do....to give a reference your vaunted Penny Gardens teams couldnt even get to the playoffs in several of these lgs...while dominating the world of 6-12 at Jardel....They had to go to hokey ass Pollock to enjoy any sucess at all...Please understand this is not a shot at you im sure you personally could have played at a high level in real softball if given the chance...Im merely stating in all seriousness you and your opionion of Dougie as a hitter /OF er ball player couldn't be more WRONG!!!!

[J. Wolf]

I’m sure the 2 of you were really fantastic on those legendary local modified & fast pitch teams of the late 80’s & early 90’s!! But, that was like 15-20 years ago. And you might respond that many of those teams were even more recent than that. But, to be perfectly honest with you, I DON’T GIVE A FUCK!!! I live in the present. And, although I do enjoy softball a lot & take it seriously when I play, I don’t care that much about what style of pitch league I play in. I play 6-12 because the guys that I have played softball with these last 3+ years play 6-12! If they wanted to play in a modified or fast pitch league, than I would be more than happy to play with them in that type of league! And I hate talking about Doug because he seems like a great dude & I have 0 problem with him. It’s more of an issue with you and your distorted outlook on reality. I don’t doubt that Doug has had tremendous success in all forms of softball over the years. He might be a much better hitter than me in other forms of softball. But, I’ll say it again: I don’t give a fuck how good he was 2, 5, 10, or 20 years ago! And I really don’t give a shit how good he is/was in modified or fast pitch softball! I saw enough Saturday to realize that he is not better than me TODAY in 6-12 SLOW PITCH SOFTBALL! And, that’s ALL I care about…… because that is ALL that I play!!! And the fact of the matter is, our 6-12 softball team (which is the one we happened to play for) is a much better team with me on it, then if they didn’t have me and instead had Doug!!

[AWED]

speed-you
power-you
hitting-you
fundementals-you
intangables-you
ability to judge talent-you
infielding-you
outfielding-you

im sorry to have tried to add a considerable upgrade in the FULLMOON talent base...status quo is always the best formula in building a great team.I mean it should be enough to win a title why look to improve....I will defer to your wisdom on the art of team building....please inform me of the temperature you prefer your water served at so I can at least assist the powers that be in someway...I can only thank Keith for the opportunity at my advanced age to expeirence softball the way its supposed to be played...Thanks to all I can now retire knowing Ive played the game with the best the game has to offer...Good luck Sunday boys...

[J. Wolf]

So..... are you saying you won't be there on Sunday???? WOW... I REALLY DID WIN!! Everyone's ear drums can finally have a break this Sunday!! Just kidding Johnnie Boy. I like that you are upgrading our team & its obvious that (even though he had an off day at the plate) Doug can help our team tremndously. I never said he wasn't going to be a huge asset to our team. I only took issue with how quick you were to hype him up as god's gift to Full Moon Softball (when we all know that I am already on the team!!) Please don't take it personal. I just thought it was a good old fashioned debate.

[J. Wolf]

And hey...... At least our debating broke up 8 days of VanillaAfro.com inactivity! I need Full Moon Softball blogging like Smitty needs expensive hair conditioners!

[johnny g]

believe me jr..i know where your coming from as i was at a time gods gift to softball !! I walked away from a promising basketball career to devote my life to softball... A ld coach named John McGraw tried to force feed some kid from Baltimore named Babe Ruth down my throat B4 he'd even played a gm...I dont know whatever became of him but Im still to quote another teammate LOU G.. the luckiest man alive to still be playing with players of your ilk...Im hoping to make it Sunday but need to get someone to cover 4 me..Plus I gotta get some new argyle socks to wear with my sandals in Florida nexy week..You know how us seniors dress...SEE YA>>>