Plate Stance

[Blue37]

I live way out in the boonies. Cable TV has not been introduced where I live and I am too cheap to get a satelite dish, so I do not get to see much baseball on TV.

Yesterday, I splurged and ate lunch in the big city on the way to a game. The TV in the restaurant was turned to the Reds and Red Sox game. When the PU dropped into his stance, he had his hands extended toward the pitcher, with the fists loosly clinched, slightly below his shoulders.

I had never seen anything like that before. Is it something that has been around a while? Is it something new? Does it help with balance? Does it help with defining the top of the zone? Is it just his stance?