April 21, 2008...10:04 am
UNC baseball, NC Baseball Academy and USA Baseball
In the course of 2 days this weekend, I got to finalize this years basketball for Clay in Greensboro and then focus on baseball.
We stayed next door to the Embassy Suites and had time between hoop games on Saturday to visit Scott’s NC Baseball Academy. Even better this time, as Marcus Floyd and Clay got tons of swings against the machine, pitched out back on the mounds and then came back inside for a half hour in the long cage with front toss and some live arm hitting. They probably hit 200+ balls each. Clay pitched his first few balls from 60 feet too.
And we got to listen to Scott working a lesson. Good advice on staying tall - keeping backside solid and a key on having your thumbs together and go down and out as you start the windup. Plus Scott gave them t-shirts - a perfect way to kill time between basketball games.
Sunday I watched the 9:30am game and left to meet up with Jack and the Carmel Middle team to watch the UNC baseball team playing BC. They are playing at an amazing place USA Baseball National Training facility in Cary. UNC has an unbelievably strong team. Great pitchers, every kid can REALLY hit it hard (we saw at least 4 shots to 390 feet that were routine fly outs!) and defensive work all around. Baseball players today are huge - these kids looked like football players from my era. And they are all fast - really fast.
But the key thing I saw (and hope Jack saw) was the readiness to play each pitch. The fielders are making adjustments based on the pitch called by the coach, and by the catchers placement and by the situation and by the tendencies of the batter EVERY PITCH. They are not just great athlete’s making plays - they are PREPARED athlete’s making adjustments in the game and getting the necessary jump on a ball to make a play. Very impressive.
I drove home realizing we have a lot of work to do before next Summer and our last Little league experience and trip to Cooperstown. I don’t think we have any - ANY - baseball players in the lineup we think is our All Star team. We NEED our kids to watch many more games - and really see what the game looks like when played correctly.
It was fascinating for me. I watched the catchers, infielders and pitchers particularly - but the speed and defense in the outfield was staggering. Remind the All Star kids to watch more baseball - and not just the batters - the real game happens elsewhere.
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