Unspoken Professional Courtesy In Baseball

Unspoken Professional Courtesy In Baseball
By Jim Bain

When you think of "Professional Courtesies," especially unspoken ones, you may immediately think about how Japanese bow to one another, or not interrupting the Boss, even when they're totally wrong. The list would go on and on if you thought about it hard enough, but most likely it'd be geared towards the business world. Did you know Baseball also has unspoken professional courtesies which are displayed between baseball people.

One such unspoken courtesy exists between a catcher and the plate umpire. Should a foul tip or a wild pitch hit the umpire, acutely injuring him for an instance, the catcher will ask for time, usually from a base umpire if possible, and take a trip to the mound to confer with his pitcher.

The catcher has no pearls of wisdom to discuss with the pitcher, he is just professionally delaying the game in order to allow the umpire to overcome the stinger he took from the baseball. The diversion the catcher creates by going to the mound allows the umpire to save face and not delay the game due to his own injury time out and doesn't make him appear to be a wimp.

Another unspoken courtesy is between the pitcher and the batter who follows him in the line-up. If the pitcher makes an out, especially if he had to run to first base, and definitely if there are now 2 outs, the next batter will intentionally take more time going to the batters box and delaying before getting in it and getting set.

The purpose? The pitcher is paid to pitch and to that end he devotes every bit of energy he can during the game. Unlike fielders who make an out, take the field after 3 outs and rest and wait until play begins again, the pitcher immediately goes to work.

The delay the batter gives him is intended to afford him time to rest a bit, get a drink of water and refocus his mind back to his pitching duties. Unless the hitter takes an extraordinary amount of extra time, the umpire will not force play to begin realizing what is actually going on.

In baseball there are times and situations which accidentally blends professional courtesy with superstition, which ball players are notoriously guilty of being. One such issue is mentioning or talking about a pitcher in the process of throwing a perfect game. It just isn't done! Not on the field and especially not in the dugout, whether the pitcher is in the dugout or on the field.

I suppose the professional courtesy part would be not wanting to add any additional stress on the pitcher by informing him he was currently throwing a perfect game. Does anyone really think the pitcher has no idea he's pitching a perfect game? I hope not.

Then, the real menace displays itself, superstition, the fear that the baseball gods will hear what's going on and go out of their way to prevent a perfect game.

So the next time you notice something just a little bit out of the ordinary happening on the baseball diamond, check it out to see if an unspoken professional courtesy is being performed.

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player, who since retiring has dedicated his life to teaching baseball to youth, shares his advice on pitching baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Bain




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Baseball IQ - The Least Considered Skill

By Chuck R Stewart

Every professional baseball player I have seen has talent. They have the ability to consistently reproduce their skills on the playing field, no matter if it is their ability to run fast, throw hard, hit with power, pitch like a pitching machine or to throw a certain pitch at any point in the count. These skills are the skills that most players strive to excel with every single day at practice. They are the most sought after skills in the game and what scouts typically evaluate when looking at a player. While these skills are important, there are a certain group of players who possess these skills and also have and develop one additional skill - the ability to think during the baseball game and increase your baseball IQ.

Most baseball players have the chance to work on their physical skills every day during the baseball season. They get to take batting practice with a pitching machine until their arms are tired and throw bullpen sessions, most of them work out even harder in the off season at very specific skills. They also have all day to do it because of the salaries that they are paid to play the game. There is an abundance of game repetition and skill coaching for all players and it should make you wonder why some players excel and why others just barely get to be in the league for any length of time. The answer is that the players who get to actually make it far in the game of baseball play with their baseball minds as much as their baseball talent. That is the difference between just playing the game and playing the game at a super high level - your mind.

You can list many players who do have exceptional can't miss talent. I think of players like A-Rod, Ken Griffey Jr, Josh Beckett and Josh Hamilton. They are players who were born to play in the major leagues and they have worked hard to hone their skills to continue to play there - they deserve it. The vast majority of players do not possess skills such as the players listed above. They do not throw 95 or have the ability to hit .325. Instead, they constantly have to get a feel for pitching in order to be able to do things other pitchers cannot do - like throwing multiple pitches for strikes and not being afraid to throw a 3-2 change-up. Hitters need to learn how to take an extra base or to be able to play great defense at multiple positions. These are some of the things that players do to make themselves invaluable on a team. They are things that every player can do to improve their game.

Much like being aggressive, having great physical tools, being intelligent, having great character and being versatile are important for players to become truly great. Having a great baseball IQ can be the difference between being a great player and being a good one who. Physical skills can be improved through hard work. Learning the game takes time, patience and a little bit of studying to be able to advance your baseball IQ. Work hard, play hard and learn the game. It will pay you great rewards in the long run.

Coach Chuck Stewart operates a baseball web site called http://www.PitchingMachines.net offering pitching machines, training aids and coaching/instructional videos along with lots of free coaching content. Coach Chuck has a pitching machine for every skill level and budget. He has coached baseball teams for 8 years and enjoys sharing the love of the game of baseball with his players.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chuck_R_Stewart


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