Pittsburgh Pirates

Archive for October, 2011

Being a strength and conditioning specialist and ex-athlete I understand the importance of having strength, speed, agility, and power when it comes down to playing any sport. The amazing thing to me is that I have had more argumentative disagreements with baseball coaches on training than any other coach in any other sport. The smart coaches are coming around, but there is still an “old school” mindset that looms out there with some coaches on how they train their players in athletic performance.

The thing that those “old school” coaches don’t get is that bigger, faster, and stronger should be the goal in EVERY sport! The old school coaches don’t understand the importance of athletic performance. They still want to constantly work on specifically “baseball skills” rather than trying to optimize there players’ athleticism. Performance for baseball is just as critical as any other sport.

Football players spend the better part of their summer in the weight room or on the field conditioning before they ever touch a football. The truth is that those “football skills” will come back in regular season practice.

The same thing happens with basketball these days too. Guys spend more time in the weight room and trying to sharpen their speed and agility for when the time comes for them to jump back on the court. Just about every other sport does this across the board more than baseball. I simply point out the facts. I don’t make this stuff up. I’m a former baseball player so don’t think I don’t understand, because I do. If you are a player then don’t cheat yourself. Make sure you take the time to get stronger, faster, more agile, and overall well conditioned before the season.

Its time for a change in the baseball community. If you are a parent that is paying for your kid to take cuts in the batting cage during the off-season you need to rethink your investment. I’m not saying they don’t need to practice those skills, but if you really want them to improve on those skills then try to work on making them a better athlete first! That is where you will get them better. Train hard my friends!

Article by Lucy Arnold

The gear you use when playing baseball can make a real difference, as with any sport. Certain types of equipment like the glove must be perfectly suited for each player and position or they won’t be able to play their best. You will also need a bat that is the right size and weight for your swing and your build. The following are some of the important factors you need to consider when getting baseball gear.

A batting helmet won’t make you a better hitter, but it will protect you from dangerous pitches. Many people may underestimate how dangerous baseball can be but players have been killed by speeding pitches. Getting hit by a ball is no small thing, so always wear a helmet when you’re at bat. While this is mandatory if you play in any leagues, you should also keep this in mind when practicing. A high quality helmet that fits you well and doesn’t interfere with your vision is what you should look for. Custom made gear is best for the serious baseball player. You can have your glove customized in a number of ways including your leather type, webbing, welting and color too. You may want to go this route if you are experienced enough to know exactly what is best for you. Another item some players get custom made are bats, where you can choose the exact size, type of wood or metal, weight and specifications, as well as any logo you might want. Custom baseball gear is more costly than equipment you buy off the shelf or from a typical website, but if you’re very particular in what you want, it may be worth it to you.When it comes to clothing, you probably have a uniform, but you also want to pay attention to the clothes you wear in addition to this. If you feel chilly, damp or like you can’t move freely, this can all detract from the way you play, so make sure everything is just right.

A baseball jersey is a basic item that most players wear, and this is often chosen for style or to show off the team’s logo as much as an article of clothing. So the main point is that every part of your baseball uniform should make it easy to move freely so you can always concentrate fully on the task at hand. Having the right baseball gear can bring out the best in your game. You don’t want to have to think about your equipment when playing, so it should fit well and serve its purpose so you can concentrate on the game. So it’s important to do your research and find the gear that’s suitable for you and the position you play.

By H. Miller
Not too long ago I was in serious need of some cash. I needed it like right now to pay my um…well to be totally honest, my cell phone bill. I had talked and talked and talked my bill right up to 0. I had already made a payment arrangement and couldn’t make another one so I had to think fast. I needed a way to make the 0 really quick. So I started to think about different things I had done before. And then it hit me, I could run a 48 hour special and offer to write articles for online business owners.
You might be wondering, why write articles? Well writing articles is a very important part of just about every online business owners marketing strategy. Article marketing, as it is called, is one of the best ways to generate traffic to any website. And as we all know, the more traffic a site gets, the more money it can potentially make. Here’s the deal though. Writing articles takes quite a bit of time. I don’t know of one online business owner who actually likes to do it. And that’s why it is pretty easy for someone like you and me to make money online by offering this type of service.
So here is what I did. I went to the warrior forum and posted an ad offering to write articles. My special was a 48 hour special. I did this to create a sense of urgency and get people to take me up and my offer quickly. And guess what? It worked like a charm. I kid you not, within 10 minutes of placing that ad, I had my first order. And by the end of 48 hours, I had mad a whopping 8. Not bad for just offering to write simple articles for various online business owners.Ginger anodyne clears the palateTo learn more about this method and other ways you can make money online fast visit http://www.astorepoint.blogspot.com

Hunt in the usual places for change: check the pockets and lining in your coats and jackets, check your couch cushions, your desk drawers, under the bed, your car, etc. I know this is obvious, but most people never think of looking in all those places when they need quick small cash. They will usually look in most of them, but forget one or more.

Check the rebate sites and match products against receipts of recent purchases. If you don’t check you will never know what money you have thrown away, that you were entitled to get back.

Put some ads on your site or blog. Adsense is easy to set up and you will eventually make something from it. And there are other programs that will pay off even sooner, since they have lower minimum payout thresholds. So shop around and see what is agreeable with your conscience and can fit in well with your site and not scare your visitors away.

Give away something for free on your site, and put a donate button right under it…and ASK for a donation! If you have any kind of art software like Photoshop, Paintshop Pro, Paint.net, etc…and you know how to use it…make some blank buttons or something, that people can use for their websites and post it in your blog. Release it under a Creative Commons license, require a link back to your site if they use it, and even if people don’t donate, it will drive some traffic your way, which you just might make some money off the ads they may click.

Sell off your unwanted junk at a yard/garage sale, flea market, ebay craigslist, etc. Why throw away something other people want and would be willing to pay for?

Turn your trash into treasure by getting crafty, then sell your creations. I once took a bucket of water, some glass bottles & jars, and old nail polish and made some really cool looking stuff by filling the bucket with water, dripping the nail polish on top of the water, and dipping the glass into the bucket. The effect was like a swirly Easter egg, and since some of the nail polish had glitter in it, it looked even better. I painted the rims with some crappy quality silver nail polish that I didn’t like and sold them for .50 each at a flea market. I made quite a bit by cleaning out my recycle bin and selling the stuff, rather than letting it all go to the curb. Tall narrow jars, like the kind from olives, make nice bud vases and sell even faster with an old silk flower you would have thrown away, stuck inside it. Wash the flowers first, if they look a bit grimy.

Return bottles for deposit. In some states, you are required to pay a deposit on bottles, which is included in the purchase price of the product and will be refunded upon the return of the empty bottles. If you live in such a state, go get your money back.

Find a coupon for or more off on some brand of cigarettes, purchase the cigarettes, then sell them to someone else for off the regular price. It helps if you know a smoker that smokes that brand before you buy, though.

Sell your old cd’s that you don’t listen to any more to a second hand cd store. Tastes change, and there is no reason why you should keep something you aren’t going to listen to any more, just to let it take up space and collect dust. You can get cash for it and someone else won’t have to pay full price.

Sell your old unwanted fiction books to a used book store. Keep reference books, and in the future, get your fiction from the library instead of buying it. There is no reason to pay for something you will read only once. The library has so much in the way of good works of fiction that you will never run out of stuff to read. And you can read it all for free.

Check your state’s unclaimed funds list for your name. I have found quite a few people I know on the list for my state, including my uncle, and an ex-employer.

That recent purchase you haven’t opened, used, or worn that you really don’t need, take it back for a refund. Impulse spending can be a serious drain on your wallet. Learn to control it.

Sign up with mysurvey.com and take surveys. The more people you have in your family, the more surveys you will be asked to take. You will make at least 10 points per survey, more if they ask you to take a long one. I have taken surveys worth 250 points each. When you have 1000 points you can cash them in for a check.

Sign up with memolink.com and click links in emails and take surveys. You don’t have to buy anything to make cash from them. Use some free email account to do it separate from your regular one. They will send you emails that if you visit the site you earn points. When you earn enough points you can redeem them for money. I have received quite a few checks from them doing that.

Do some paid consumer product testing with ACOP. They are one of the few companies I know that will pay you for product testing. It’s not a scam. It can be tough to qualify for a product test, but when you do, you usually can make a few bucks and get a free product out of the deal, too. I have tested all kinds of things from toothbrushes, to shampoo, to feminine hygiene products. I have been paid from to per test. I have also taken paid surveys with them. They don’t run on a points system and they don’t make you wait till you have accumulated a certain amount in rewards before sending you the cash. They pay for each thing you qualify and participate in, and mail out the money soon after you complete it.

Check your junk mail to see if it has cash included. I once received a letter from some magazine company asking me to go to their website and take a survey. The letter came with a bill as compensation for my time and trouble, that I could keep even if I declined to take the survey. Now I never throw away junk mail without checking it for cash first.

Keep an eye on your neighborhood trash for sellable furniture. Grab it, clean it and sell it. (see #4) I once had a neighbor that was moving and threw away some beautiful glass tables that I grabbed & cleaned and hid in my basement till the following month’s yard sale. I then sold them to another neighbor for . She never knew she had bought someone else’s trash.

Write an easy to follow guide or how-to book and self publish it on lulu.com. Everybody knows how to do something that not everyone else knows how to do. All you have to do is explain it well. Put some time & thought into it and write something worth buying. Then upload the .pdf and charge a reasonable price for it.

Think up witty sayings to put on T-shirts and start a cafepress shop and sell the stuff on your site. Ask your site visitors to send you photos of them wearing the shirts, for publication on your site. Start your visitor gallery page off with a photo of yourself or your pet wearing one of the shirts. It’s a great way to connect with your site visitors and a great incentive to get them to buy a shirt.

Sell your broken jewelry as scrap metal. If you can’t wear it, and it’s not fixable, it’s as good as trash. But it’s trash with a monetary value, if you sell it to a jewelry store.

Sell the collections (coins, stamps, toy cars, comic books, baseball cards, dolls, etc). You are probably keeping them thinking that some day they will be worth something. Today is someday. You should check and see if it is true. If it hasn’t gone up in value after 5 years, sell it for whatever you can get for it and cut your losses. There are better ways to invest your money than in “stuff”. If you have fallen in love with the stuff and can’t bear to part with it, you have reduced its value to . Never fall in love with an investment. Sentimental value can’t put food on the table.

Sell your old vinyl records. If you don’t have a turntable any more, what good are they to you? You probably will never listen to them again. You might as well turn them into cash and let someone else enjoy them before they get warped or damaged and become worthless.

Sell those textbooks you don’t need any more. Next time buy used books and you might even make a profit when you sell them.

Stand by a pay phone, holding the phone to your ear, and ask people that pass by if they have a quarter. People will assume you need it for the phone and usually give it to you if they don’t mind wasting the time it takes to dig in their pocket for it.

Check the ground in the parking lot outside a convenience store for change. You would be amazed at how many people don’t like change and will just throw it on the ground. There is a store in my neighborhood that is always good for finding at least in nickels, dimes, and pennies.

Article by Kity

The fascinating planet of baseball card investing is one which is swiftly sweeping the region by storm. Whether or not you need to boost your own assortment of rare baseball cards otherwise you just desire to make some funds selling them understanding the basic principles of baseball card training is essential. Right here are a handful of things to contemplate as you discover more.

Baseball card trading has grown a great deal much more advanced than the days of your childhood when you would trade cards with your pals. Nowadays there are plenty of elements that can make or break a card. Understanding what to look for can suggest the variation between purchasing a high quality card and buying a dud.

As an example youll find lots of characteristics a card can have that will significantly improve its worth. In baseball card trading acquiring a card thats signed features a piece with the uniform or has a lower manufacturing quantity can mean youve got a truly priceless card in fact. Freak manufacturing problems such as colour problems or small typos may also end result within a card that is rarer than the others.

Obviously there are also unwritten baseball card trading guidelines that may devalue your card as well. It is not enough nowadays to merely have a card that is totally free of rips tears bad smells stains or fading. In lots of circumstances youll also want to possess it in mint problem as well which implies you will need to include cards that are still within their authentic wrapping.

Do you plan on marketing baseball cards? A typical rule in baseball card buying and selling is that although getting an exceedingly unusual card could make you a bundle youll be able to also make a lot of cash promoting bulk cards too. This is because you will find also a huge number of collectors who are just starting up out and require to incorporate cards within their collection that are not uncommon or expensive.

If you would really prefer to learn the ropes of baseball card buying and selling its not enough to simply belong to a club or take part in a forum on the internet. You should also regularly go to card accumulating conventions as well. There you may understand much more about auctions panels and more. Youll also possess the uncommon chance to interact with card collectors and sellers encounter to deal with.

These are only some things to contemplate when you learn numerous areas of baseball card investing. When you carry on to go after the art of baseball card investing you will gradually learn the best way to notify whats great and whats rubbish. Understand more these days about how investing baseball cards can advantage you.

In any sport, the gear you choose can make a real difference, and this is certainly true for baseball. Each player needs certain types of equipment like the glove to be perfectly suited to them or they won’t be able to play at their best. You need to have a bat that is the right size and weight for your swing and build. The following are some of the important factors you need to consider when getting baseball gear.

A batting helmet may not make you a better hitter, but it definitely protects you from potential danger. Many people may not consider baseball dangerous when compared to other sports, but players have been injured by speeding pitches. Getting hit by a ball is no small thing, so always wear a helmet when you’re at bat. While this is mandatory if you play in any leagues, you should also keep this in mind when practicing. Your helmet should be high quality, fit you well, and not interfere with your vision.

Depending on how serious you are about the game, you may want custom baseball gear. You can get customized gloves in a variety of colors, leather types, webbings and weltings. This is something you may want if you’re experienced enough to know exactly what kind of glove is best for you. A seasoned player may even want a customized bat which can be made of wood or metal, be weighted to a certain spec and carry a logo if desired. Custom baseball gear is more costly than equipment you buy off the shelf or from a typical website, but if you’re very particular in what you want, it may be worth it to you.

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If you’re serious about improving your hitting skills, a batting tee is something you may want to have. This piece of equipment is great for any age player wanting to improve swing and hit skills. You only get to bat so many times during a game, or even during team practice, which is why it’s so important to get in additional batting practice in your spare time. Even though it may seem like a tedious task it’s still important to practice your swing repetitively. Be sure you are setting your tee up correctly so that it mimics the swing you’d have during regular play.

Now that you are ready with all the equipment, you should seek an instructor. A professional baseball instructor will specialize in teaching you the game and the tricks. It is important that your coach should have a coaching experience. Be a keen listener and keep practicing. If you are new to it, you will find some difficulty in the beginning but you will learn to be an expert soon.

Keep in mind that an improper posture or impairment may be the areas that can spoil you completely. Make sure your instructor teaches you about them. Maintain good health and eating habits, also do not forget to keep up with exercises. All this will surely give you a beam of light at the end of the tunnel and give you great success.

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Anyone who loved to play baseball as a kid can remember the drill vividly – throw the ball, hit the ball, chase the ball. Very few among us were fortunate enough to be able to play on a real field everyday with enough people for a regulation game, so the backyard version of baseball is basically how we sharpened our playing skills. Although in our youth the possibility of having a batting cage in our backyards were pure fantasy, nowadays it is not unreasonable at all to build one fairly simply and inexpensively, the only prohibitive factor being that a yard is of adequate proportion. Making a backyard batting cage is an excellent weekend project that will be remembered by your child long after they get to the major leagues, and even if they don’t make it you will get to the parents hall of fame for trying.

Prior to spending any money on materials, draw a rough sketch with dimensions and materials of what you want your backyard batting cage to look like. Take this sketch to your local community building inspector to see if a building permit is required (in many communities it is unnecessary because a batting cage is not considered a permanent structure). If a license is required, don’t be intimidated – it’s just a formality and the forms are easy to complete. Most often you can discuss your project with the proper authorities beforehand and they will help you to steer clear of possible pitfalls.

A good backyard batting cage is about 65 feet in length by 10 feet wide and 8 feet in height. The frame can be made of either wood or steel pipe, strong enough to take the impact of a baseball that is hit hard. Nylon mesh or netting is simply placed over the batting cage frame and attached to absorb the impact of a baseball when it is hit. Similarly, a protective screen that stands in front of the person that is pitching is necessary to protect them from hard hit balls. This is merely a square frame with a hole cut out that the baseball is thrown through, covered by the same netting as that used to make the batting cage. This protective screen should be movable, so it can be adjusted to differing distances required by kids batting of various ages.

Finally, after your backyard batting cage is completed, it important to talk to your children and set some hard and fast guidelines for safety in the batting cage. Make certain that your kids understand that horseplay is not allowed, a helmet must be worn at all times, and that only a pitcher and a batter are to be present in the batting cage at any given time.

Article by Chris McBrien

Most people who play fantasy baseball participate in leagues which count basic statistical categories. Although actual league formats may differ (head-to-head, rotisserie, points leagues being among the most popular), the categories in which your teams compete are generally the same. Most fantasy baseball leagues will consider the following categories for batters: Runs, Home Runs, RBI, Batting Average and Stolen Bases. Often for pitchers, the important categories are often comprised of the following: Wins, Saves, ERA, WHIP and Strikeouts. However, when evaluating players for your team (at either the draft table or when considering in-season trades and waiver wire moves), it isn’t always enough to concentrate on these categories alone.

Bill James and the statistical pioneers at the Society for American Baseball Research (or SABR, the acronym in which sabermetrics draws its name) have created a series of empirical methods for player evaluation that can be a fantasy baseball owner’s best friend. Although the categories discussed previously continue to account for the statistics by which most fantasy baseball owners are ultimately compared, by using key sabermetrics, one can get a better idea of which players may deliver traditional stats to your fantasy team. As any baseball manager or fantasy baseball owner knows all too well, each and every little bit of useful information may help in giving you a slight ‘edge’ and help you to pick the right player at the right time.

To help ‘de-mystify’ some of the key sabermetrics statistics which may be of importance in evaluating fantasy baseball players, the following is a run-down for the uninitiated:

FIP -

“Fielding Independent Pitching”. At its most basic, FIP takes into consideration the factors that a pitcher can control (home runs, hits and walks) and doesn’t consider the factors that a pitcher can’t control (how well his fielders actually field balls in play). It’s basically a version of ERA which considers how well a pitcher actually pitched. One of the nice uses of FIP is when pitchers change teams or see their current teams change defensive players behind them. The FIP stat can help you see how pitchers can be expected to perform independent of their teammates on the field around them. As the Hardball Times says, “”FIP helps you understand how well a pitcher pitched, regardless of how well his fielders fielded.”

xFIP -

“Expected Fielding Independent Pitching”. This is a version of FIP which ‘normalizes’ the home run component of the equation based upon league averages. Since home runs are basically related to fly balls allowed and home park, xFIP can be used to help determine a pitchers future ERA. This is particularly valuable to fantasy owners looking for an edge.

BaBIP -

“Batting Average on Balls in Play”. Whereas batting average takes into account the percentage of at bats which become hits, BaBIP takes this a step further to determine the percentage of balls hit into play which become hits. By removing strikeouts from the equation, BaBIP can be a good indicator of how “lucky” either a pitcher or hitter has been, based upon the number of balls the opposing defence was able to handle (or mishandle as the case may be). Since baseball is comprised of a long season where statistics often regress to the mean, BaBIP can often be used to predict a player’s future statistics. For a hitter with a BaBIP much higher than the league average, it may indicate a dip in batting average is due. Conversely, a pitcher with a low BaBIP rate may be predicted to see an increase in hits allowed in upcoming games.

OPS -

“On-Base Percentage Plus Slugging Percentage”. One of the most popular sabermetrics statistics in use today as well as one of the simplest, OPS combines two of the best metrics in determining a hitter’s value to his team. On-Base Percentage (OBP) is the ability of a player to get on base and Slugging Percentage (SLG) is the ability of a player to hit for power. As a point of reference, .728 was the average OPS for MLB in 2010. In his essay titled, “The 96 Families of Hitters”, Bill James devised the following categories for OPS:

Great- .9000 and Above AModerate- .8333 to .8999 BAbove Avg- .7667 to .8333 CAverage- .7000 to .7666 DBelow Avg- .6334 to .6999 ETerrible- .5667 to .6333 FAtrocious- .5666 and Lower G

For the sake of comparison, the Toronto Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista has a current OPS of 1.147. Chicago White Sox slugger and key offseason acquisition Adam Dunn’s current OPS is .592.

VORP -

“Value Over Replacement Player”. This statistic measures the total number of runs a player contributes to their team compared with a “replacement level” player at the same position. This can be a good point of reference in determining a player’s value to his team and thus see which players can be expected to get the lion’s share of playing time at a position. For hitters, the ‘counting stats’ of fantasy baseball (Runs, Home Runs, RBI, SB) are directly related to playing time. For pitchers, VORP is determined as a measure of how many runs that pitcher has prevented being scored against his team (in comparison to a replacement level pitcher). In either case, a player’s value to his team is the key measurable involved and can be useful in determining which players are more valuable than others on draft day or at the trade table.

WAR -

“Wins Above Replacement”. Similar to VORP, WAR takes into account the value a player has to his team. However, instead of using runs as the measureable statistic, WAR takes into account how many WINS a player contributes to his team in comparison to a replacement level player at his position. It can be useful in comparing players WAR metrics in determining how valuable a player is to his team (and thus how likely he is to receive playing time).

ISO -

“Isolated Power”. A rather simple metric, ISO is calculated by subtracting batting average from slugging average. This statistic represents a measure of a hitter’s raw power, or extra base hits per at bat. As a point of reference, Jose Bautista currently leads LB with a .356 ISO. The light-hitting Juan Pierre has a current ISO of .049.

Whether or not you perceive the alphabet soup of newfangled sabermetrics as being of any value to you in your fantasy baseball analysis, the bottom line is that these statistics certainly can’t hurt your chances. In fact, when it comes to competitive leagues…. each and every little bit helps.