Posts Tagged ‘baseball catcher’
Baseball and a Wedding-(Part 2)
…The article doesn’t mention if the bridesmaids will be given anything from the Pirates, but I suspect that they will give Laura a catchers mitt for the “catch” that she made. (Although, upon seeing her picture, Damon is really the one who made the catch!) The names of the people in the wedding party will be written on the lineup board near the main gate. The guys will be dressing in the home clubhouse and the girls will be in the visitor’s clubhouse, and all will have their names written on nameplates above the lockers.
There will be a Presbyterian Church glee club singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during their recessional, and then the reception for 165 guests will be held under a tent in the concession area. What a fun-loving couple! Now, if the weather doesn’t throw them a curve and send them into extra innings, Laura and Damon can get busy building a “team” of their own…
Time to Pass the Baton
With Little League baseball many decades behind me, I had a son of my own. When my son Andy became Little League age, he wanted to play also. We would play catch to improve his skills so naturally, the next step was to buy him a catchers mitt of his very own. Andy was a little excited about being catcher until he found out there was pain involved.
He managed to squeak out one season as catcher, but he really didn’t like it-not like I did when I was a kid. If you don’t like being catcher it’s just too hard a position to play and be any good at it. That was when Andy started his pitching career which I blogged about back in November. At least he was involved with a catcher…
My Catchers Career Ended Early
I got to play catcher for two years in Little League and then it was over. There was another kid on our team who wanted to play catcher, but I was better than he was so I got to be the main catcher. Being a kid, I didn’t know much about politics, but I soon learned. This kid’s dad decided to coach a team the next year and picked me to be on his team.
On our first day of practice, our “manager” took all the catchers equipment and gave it to his son and said that he would be the starting catcher. I asked the manager where I was going to play and he said I would be back-up catcher and utility player. Not only did I not get to play catcher that season, but no other position either! The next season, the same guy picked me again, so my dad pulled me out of baseball. Politics…
My First Season as a Catcher
After my first year of Little League was over, I couldn’t wait for the second year to begin. I was chosen to be back on the same team that year. I was on Nashville and playing second base again. In our second game, our catcher was up at bat and for some reason I tried on his catchers mitt. My manager saw me and asked if I wanted to be a catcher. Apparently, our catcher wanted to play another position-ANY position!
I said sure and the next thing I knew I was dressed in catchers gear and heading out to squat behind home plate. I was a natural. I loved it. Being catcher was my new favorite position. There was action on every pitch and I really looked like a ballplayer in all that catchers equipment. We finished in first place that year, but I was most excited about being catcher…
Kickball and a Big Head
When I was a kid I loved to play baseball and was pretty good at it. Another favorite sport was kickball that we often played at school when I was in fifth grade. I was even better at kickball than I was at baseball, and when teams were being chosen, I was picked either first or second. One day, I bet the girls in my class that just two of us guys could beat their whole team of girls. They took me up on it.
The game was scheduled for the following Saturday in the field next to my house. My best friend Tilton and I took on about twelve girls that memorable day. We used my catchers mitt for home plate and three other gloves for the bases. The game began and Tilton and I got pounded 15-2. I don’t remember liking kickball much after that…
Cleveland Faces an Uncertain 2010
Just two years ago, The Cleveland Indians lost the ALCS to the Boston Red Sox, and it’s been all downhill since. They finished 2009 tied for last place in the American League Central with a record of 65-97. And as usual, when loses go up-fan attendance goes down. (Except for the Chicago Cubs, of course, who could lose ALL their games and STILL fill Wrigley Field…no one has an explanation for this!)
In mid-2009, the Indians traded away lefty Cliff Lee, the 2008 American League Cy Young award winner, and catcher-first baseman Victor Martinez who is good whether he is wearing his catchers equipment or his first base mitt. They now have a very young ballclub that could go in either direction. Their new manager Manny Acta was hired in October to try to make sure that direction is up…
Will 2010 Marlins Strike Paydirt?
The Florida Marlins have been playing good, not great, baseball as of late. They have been close to making the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, and finished with a record of 87-75, which was good enough for a second place finish in the National League East. They have a bunch of young talent on the way, and already have solid pitching in place.
With a new ball park just two years away, (finally!) some of the “older” players might not be around to play in it. Dan Uggla might prove to be good trade material, but most fans hope he’ll be there to play in the new ball park. The starting pitching rotation is reaching maturity and definitely knows how to find the catchers mitt. Team president David Samson said they were building for the 2009 season, but now says they are building for 2010. I think he stole that line from the Chicago Cubs…
The Catcher’s Many Roles
Before Minnesota Twins slugger Joe Mauer redefined expectations for the position, catchers were normally touted for their defense – period. But unlike other position players, the catcher is charged with many disparate tasks. First and most obviously, he must make sure that no ball the pitcher throws gets away from him. Beyond that, he is expected to “call a great game” by helping the pitcher decide whether to throw a fastball, slider, curveball, etc. and at what point in the game.
Finally, the catcher occasionally attempts to throw out a base runner before he can steal second base. Oh, and let’s not forget those desperation throws to the plate when the catcher must snag the ball and block the runner at home. In short, Rawlings catchers mitts see plenty of use in a game situation. While outfielders can afford to stretch and preen during their downtime, a catcher is always having his skills tested.