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Look at Mike Reilly, he looks like he's thinking, "Oh, sh*t!!!" That clown in the second picture sure cleared the bat, didn't he?
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Matthew 15:14, 1 Corinthians 1:23-25 |
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Once upon a time, I was instructed to pick up the bat and toss it to the side, away from the playing action. Backstops were not what they are today and most of the fields didn't have dugouts, just a bench behind the fence back then.
About twenty years ago, I started kicking the bat to the side with a steel toed plate shoe. I have been doing it this way ever since. Sometimes, if the play is developing (say R2 on an outfield hit), I'll tell the catcher to clear the bat so that he doesn't have it in the way. Almost always he utilizes the foot wedge to get the job done. Whatever you do, don't toss the bat in the air. Kick it or slide it with purpose. I'm sure that CB or Bob will agree that acting like this is preventative and prudent - not acting in an irresponsible and reckless manner. But then again, I pay my attorney to think fabout those things for me...
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"You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions. ~Naguib Mahfouz |
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Safety? Not really
I had a bunt situation my rookie season, with a LL runner on third base where the bat rolled back into the batters box. At the time, I would sometimes bend down to remove the bat from the 3B line in front of home plate for safety reasons. Now I recognize this as a very bad habit.
The LL catcher was moving out with the ball along the foul line in this situation and I thought it was no big deal. When I looked up, the catcher had already thrown the ball to first to retire the speedster. Needless to say, ball/strike, fair/foul, safe/out; one of those was MY responsibility. Half the fans were applauding the catcher and the other half were screaming FOUL at me. How many times have I seen a LL runner injure himself while sliding over a bat or base? None. How many times do I ever want to miss that call again? ZERO. How many times have I had to make a split decision on a fair/foul sac bunt in the batters box where I need to line myself with the baseline? Many. From that moment on I decided to keep my eyes on the BALL. Leave the bat alone and/or kick the bat forward towards the pitcher's mound while I move into a position for a possible play at the plate. |
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When it comes to getting the bat out of the way take a NAP
N-Necessary- Is a play happening where the bat may get in the way. A-Accessible- Is the bat in a location that allows you to move it without getting too far out of position without recovering. P-Practical- Is the play such that you can take the time to get the bat out of the way. When getting the bat out slide it straight back without taking your eyes off the play. |
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