Lowe to Atlanta

Right-hander goes to Atlanta with four-year deal, pending exam
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
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Braves bring in Lowe
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ATLANTA -- The Braves impressed Derek Lowe during a meeting at Turner Field last week and then lured him to Atlanta with the four-year deal that he and agent Scott Boras were seeking.
A Major League source confirmed on Tuesday that Lowe and the Braves have agreed on a four-year, $60 million offer. The deal is expected to be finalized when the 35-year-old right-hander travels to Atlanta for a physical that will likely be performed on Friday or Saturday.
Braves general manager Frank Wren's previous attempts to land an ace proved unsuccessful with his pursuits of Jake Peavy and A.J. Burnett. But with Lowe, he has gained a legitimate front-line starter who will anchor a starting rotation that suddenly seems capable of helping Atlanta compete for a division title.
While serving as a starter for the past seven seasons, Lowe has averaged 15 wins and 208 innings. The 35-year-old right-hander went 14-11 with a 3.24 ERA for the Dodgers last season. He also increased his stock by going 6-1 with a 1.27 ERA in his final 10 starts.
Lowe's acquisition, combined with the one that brought Javier Vazquez to Atlanta in December, provides the Braves with a pair of durable right-handers who have consistently completed 200-inning seasons throughout their careers.
Adding depth to this reconstructed rotation is Kenshin Kawakami, a 33-year-old Japanese right-hander who was officially introduced during a Tuesday afternoon news conference at Turner Field.
While their interest in Lowe was initially slight, the Braves became even more interested in the veteran sinkerballer after meeting with him.
"He's a great kid," Braves manager Bobby Cox said when he emerged from that meeting. "This guy is first class all the way around."

While Lowe might not have the power arm of a prototypical ace, his power sinker has allowed him to distinguish himself as one of the game's top pitchers. The 3.79 ERA he's compiled since the start of the 2002 season is just .08 higher than the mark posted by A.J. Burnett, who declined a five-year, $80 million offer by the Braves before he signed with the Yankees.
In addition, the 1,456 innings that Lowe has completed since the start of the 2002 season rank as the ninth-highest total among all Major League hurlers. Making this more important is the fact that Vazquez ranks third during this span with 1,502 1/3 innings.
With Lowe and Vazquez, the Braves' rotation projects to have the durability that was lacking last season, when each of the top four starters missed at least two months because of injuries. This should only strengthen a bullpen that was burdened by the rotation's inconsistencies this past season.
The Braves' rotation will include Lowe, Vazquez, Jair Jurrjens and Kawakami. Jo-Jo Reyes, Charlie Morton, James Parr, Tommy Hanson and Tom Glavine could potentially compete for the fifth spot in the rotation.

Hitting

Tip's on Building a Sound Swing

Stance

Like building anything else you must first start with a strong foundation to have a good baseball swing. Though there are many different stances based on comfort, there's only one way to strike the ball effectively so that you hit the ball square with all of your weight behind it. Having that solid base is the beginning of achieving success at the plate.Like I said before the initial stance can vary and is not as important as some make it out to be. It is something that is unique to the individual and should be something that is comfortable based on your own strengths and weaknesses. Many coaches believe in a 50/50 or 60/40 weight distribution in both the resting stance and especially when you go to attack the ball. That shouldn't be confused with your weight distribution at the point of contact and at that time you want your weight to have transfered forward then back with most of it on your back foot, meaning that you stayed "behind the ball".Your stride which is your "timing mechanism" should be one that is comfortable just like your stance but more importantly one that works for you. Your weight should feel like it went from a resting stance, back then forward and back again. As long as your stride puts you in a position "in time" where you are balanced and can either swing or take the pitch, you are using the proper mechanics.Your feet should then end up at about shoulder's width or wider as you approach the ball and they should be firmly planted. Your back foot should be slightly turned and on the "ball" of your foot. If your front side has remained "in" the way it's supposed to, then you have just torqued your hips. You should actually feel the torque and pressure on your front side ready to unwind or "uncork". Try this, if you stand in an athletic position with both feet pointing forward, turn your back foot inward just a little and you will feel the pressure of your front side wanting to twist. If you were to remain in that position after contact nobody should be able to push you off balance, that's how you know you have a solid base to your baseball swing.

Hands

I feel the most important part of your swing mechanics is having "strong hands". Everybody has heard a coach say "keep your hands back" and that can't be emphasized enough. What exactly does that mean? No matter what else happens during your swing, your hands must remain in a position to aggresively hit the ball.During many players' stride or "timing device" they will draw their hands up, in, and back to load for power. It is critical that your hands stay there and do not come forward to soon or especially drop below the hitting plane of the ball. Basically you are allowing gravity to do much of the work. It's much easier to swing down than up.Also, while drawing your hands back you have to be careful of what is called a "bat wrap". Many players allow the head of the baseball bat to go beyond their head creating a very long swing. That is bad because it is that much further the barrel of the bat has to travel before being able to make contact. Ideally, you want your swing to be as short and compact as possible going from point "A" to "B". By hitting down on the ball you actually create a back spin on the ball causing it to rise when it is a line-drive in the air. You do not want to have a dip in your swing, which is a common misconception in lower levels of play of something that should be done. I guess players and sometimes coaches think that if contact is made on the upside of the "dip" it will force the ball upward but that is not true. Or at least up in the way that you want the ball to be hit. It will cause a "top spin" in most cases that will result in ground balls that are weakly hit.As your hands are loading they should actually create a circular motion known as "rotational force" which will torque the bat when your hands are drawn up,in, and back slightly. Your bottom hand will lead when you go to swing at the ball while your top hand will go back slightly, aiming the bat head back. It is a that point the bat is torqued and your hands are leading through the hitting zone creating a "whip" like effect. Keep in mind that your top hand should stay "strong" as it goes back slightly by not letting it drop lower than your bottom hand or at all. Your hands should be driven straight at the ball and they should stay inside the ball throughout your swing, which is very important to hit the ball with authority the "other way" and being able to go "with the pitch" to all parts of the outfield.As your arms become extended your hands are still loaded because the bat head is back and above your hands. As you reach the point of contact your arms will come to a full extension and your hands will "slap" towards the ball bringing the bat head through the zone, then finishing with a strong follow through after contact.

Head and Shoulders

Your head and front shoulder should always stay on the ball. Obviously you can't make solid contact or even hit the ball unless you get a good look at the pitch. By keeping your front shoulder locked in as you swing you will prevent your head from coming out and your front side from bailing on the pitch. This will give you the best chance at hitting the ball square and you will see the ball all the way until the point of contact. Of course your front shoulder will come forward as you swing through the ball. By staying in on the ball you will be much better at hitting off-speed pitches and going the "other way". Pulling your head out results in misses or a serious problem of only being able to "pull" the ball.Your back shoulder should almost replace your front shoulder during your follow through and for the most part remain level. Some hitters drop their back shoulders slightly which is okay. As long as it is not extreme because then you are more likely to allow the front shoulder to come up and "off" the ball. Picture your shoulders as an airplane landing level, no pilot lands a plane with one wing up and the other down because it will crash.

Relaxation

You have to be relaxed and loose at the plate. Most of your relaxation will come from the confidence in yourself. You have to know that you will make solid contact at the correct time as the ball enters into the hitting zone and it won't get by you. That confidence will come from the practice and hard work that you put in to understanding and executing the proper mechanics and fundamentals of a solid swing.Your swing should be the same everytime with minor adjustments to where the pitch is in the strike zone. Just "sit and rip". All the practice outside of the baselines will allow you to keep it simple when you dig into the batter's box between baselines. You simply "see the ball, hit the ball". Being relaxed is also a very important factor of generating good bat-speed. Being tense will make you slow and you will lose that "whip" like effect when you swing. You certainly don't want to try and muscle the ball. You want to be loose and fluent with your motions so it's just a matter of waiting for "your pitch" then reacting.

Mental Approach

I said before you want to be relaxed and confident at the plate. Alot of that comes from being mentally prepared as you step to the plate. You should always be aware of the situation you are stepping into because that is what baseball is all about. It is a situational game. Always be aware of how many outs, how many men on base and who, infielder shifts, strength in outfielders arms, and how a pitcher throws out of the "whind up" verses the "stretch".If you are familiar with or have studied the pitcher than you should definetly have an idea as to what his arsenal of pitches consists of and when he usually throws what. There are "pitcher's counts" and then there are "hitter's counts". You always want to be looking fastball and adjusting to everything else. When your mechanics have been fine-tuned you will be able to make easy adjustments to off-speed pitches by keeping your power loaded until the right time to release your body and hands. Remember "controlled rage".

Joe Rogers

By Dick Mills


My name is Dick Mills. I am a former pitcher with the Boston Red Sox organization. I was once a #2 draft pick. I was on the big league roster three times. If you can still find one, my Topps Rookie Card came out in 1971. I have been a pitching instructor my entire adult life.
I am about to explain to you why this letter could be the most important information on pitching you will ever read.
In 2004, after being a pitching instructor nearly my entire adult life, I broke away from the pitching establishment because I learned some new information that I had never heard before that is all backed up by the latest sports science research and that not 1 coach in 100 fully understands. This new information, which I have been teaching now for the past four years is almost the exact opposite of what most pitching coaches and instructors are teaching. But it is all backed up with real sports science research rather than the beliefs of most pitching instructors. And our students and clients are discovering is the missing link to better velocity and control with not as much as a sore arm let alone an injury.
My web site has been online since August of 1996. As of September 1, 2007 we have helped 19,227 clients…pitchers from Little League to pro baseball and have helped hundreds get college scholarships. And if you take the time to read this letter you will learn many of the reasons why pitchers today are not successful. They simply are getting poor advice from their coaches and even from professional instructors. And in this letter I will prove it to you.

Before I tell you how I can help you help your son become a much better pitcher, I want you to listen to a true story about one of our customers and how bad coaching advice can actually ruin a boy's chances of reaching his peak potential. This may have cost this boy millions of dollars.
How would you feel if your son was ranked as one of the top 35 college players in the country going into his junior year of college pretty much assured he'd get drafted at least by the second or third round and have that dream die because an instructor gave him some very bad advice and it reduced his velocity 7 mph? That actually happened to one of my customers, a 6'3" 195 lb lefty, who had been on our program since his sophomore year of high school. Out of high school he was throwing 86-88 mph and as a college sophomore he was consistently throwing 89-91 mph. He got a scholarship to one of the premium Division 1 colleges in the nation.
Here's what happened. He wanted to see if he could add another 2-3 mph on his fastball so he set up some lessons with a well known instructor who didn't understand an important element of how the pitcher's body produces velocity. The instructor had this pitcher work on trying to produce more velocity "out in front" using a "towel drill" so he would be closer to the plate at ball release. This sounds good in theory but it misses one very important element of pitching mechanics—the trunk must turn first before it flexes forward. This instructor didn't understand that.
When a pitcher focuses only on arm extension his weight transfer is very poor so his trunk flexes forward before it rotates and that kills arm speed and adds stress. This cost him 7 mph on his fastball and instead of getting drafted in the second or third round…he went in the 23 rd. Those lessons with that misinformed instructor cost this boy in the neighborhood of $750,000 to a million in bonus money and a lot of heartache for he and his family.
Or have you heard of another hyped up drill that is being called "scapula loading." This too is supposed to boost velocity quickly by changing a pitcher's arm action…something you had better be very careful messing with. However, in my opinion this too will prove to be another disaster for pitchers who are looking for magic bullets rather than sensible instruction that focuses on "how to use the elastic energy of the body" to help create more arm speed. So the body does the work to speed up the arm while actually reducing stress and arm injury.

Here is the one secret to pitching velocity that you must learn if you ever hope to see him reach his full potential.

Pitching velocity is the result of how explosively the lower body moves from the back leg to the front leg while stretching out like a huge rubber band into a long stride while getting the upper body and arm in the right position to throw.

The single biggest reason that more high school and college pitchers never reach their full potential is because they waste their time doing activities that will never produce the promised results of better velocity or control. They are taught to believe that more arm strength will produce more velocity. This is wrong!
If you are interested in the truth about how to help your son reach the next level as a pitcher…without any hyped up magic bullets such as weighted baseballs, doing endless long toss or some special velocity drill, then I can show you how to smooth out and make a couple of changes in his mechanics and his overall practice routine that will end your frustration about what he should do to improve…and improve a lot quicker than you thought possible. But you must read every word of this letter.
If you think magic bullets are the answer for producing more velocity then you should ask yourself why there are no magic bullets in other sports. It's simple. Because magic bullets are a myth. They are pure hype. And if you buy into them you will regret it because you son can never get back wasted time.
The only thing that is going to help your son improve his velocity is to help him build an explosive delivery by using his lower body to build a long stride.

By Jamison Hensley Sun reporter

The Ravens drafted their quarterback of the future, but it wasn't the one everyone expected.After feeling the disappointment of losing out on Boston College's Matt Ryan, the Ravens went on their wildest ride ever in the first round, trading twice before grabbing Delaware's Joe Flacco with the 18th overall pick.With a big frame (6 feet 6, 235 pounds) and an even bigger arm, Flacco will compete for the starting job after becoming the highest-drafted quarterback in the Ravens' 13-year existence. Kyle Boller, the only other quarterback selected by the Ravens in the first round, was taken with the 19th pick in 2003.The Ravens had long targeted Ryan, but the Atlanta Falcons took the top quarterback in the draft with the No. 3 pick. That led the Ravens to trade back to the end of the first round before moving back to the middle where they selected Flacco, a risky small-school pick who was the clear-cut No. 2 quarterback on the Ravens' draft board.
Once Flacco was chosen, there was "tremendous elation" in the room where the Ravens coaches and scouts were watching television. At the news conference, Newsome essentially delivered the coronation of Flacco, calling him "the guy to lead our football team into the future.""We love the kid," said Eric DeCosta, the Ravens' director of college scouting. "He passed every test. We grinded on these quarterbacks to the very end, and Joe was the guy who separated himself from the other [second-tier] guys."An excellent long-range passer, Flacco can make all the throws and has the confidence to deliver them.Still, drafting Flacco at No. 18 could be one of the biggest gambles in the first round.Flacco, who led Delaware to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision title game, is the first Division I-AA quarterback to be drafted in the first round since Steve McNair in 1995. (Interestingly, the Ravens had a more pressing need to take a quarterback this year because McNair abruptly retired nine days before the draft.)There could be some criticism of the Ravens for taking Flacco too high. After Flacco, the next quarterbacks drafted were Louisville's Brian Brohm (56th overall) and Michigan's Chad Henne (57th)."I can honestly say we got one of the better players on our board," Newsome said. "It was the right place to take him."But there will be skepticism because Flacco threw 41 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in two seasons against the likes of Towson and New Hampshire ."I definitely think I've got something to prove," Flacco told reporters on a conference call, "and I'll use that to motivate me, like I always have."The Ravens also shrugged off the concern of Flacco playing at a small school, pointing to the fact that he began at Pittsburgh before transferring after two seasons because of a lack of playing time.The Ravens sent him a playbook to see how quickly he could learn it. During his private workout, they were impressed with how he adapted to the corrections made by the coaches."He blew us away with his aptitude," DeCosta said. "He'll have no problem making the adjustment."

Now, the debate will be: When should Flacco start?The Ravens' two other quarterbacks - Boller and Troy Smith - are equally unproven. Boller has been inconsistent throughout his career, and Smith remains a raw project.On the NFL Network, Deion Sanders suggested to former Ravens coach Brian Billick that Flacco should play right away."You've got to remember, they ran me out of town for doing that with Kyle Boller," Billick responded.

There has been a lot of controversy about steroids in baseball. Does it enhance performance and what are the side effects. Are records today the result of steroids. And are athletes harming themselves.
First of all, we need to understand what is a steroid. And why do players use it. Anabolic steroids are a synthetic version of the male hormone testosterone. Testosterone in it's normal state promotes and boosts muscle development and growth. When it is supplemented with steroids, you have an increase of muscle mass, reduction of body fat, and enhanced endurance. It is used by athletes to try to have the edge on the competition. It is believed that by using a steroid in baseball it will cause you to hit the ball further. And longer.
What are some of the side effects? They range from psychologically to physically. From a psychological standpoint, they can range from a feeling of well-being to depression. Mood swings. And even rage. Sometimes called 'roid rage'. Other adverse psychological effects can include intense aggression and violence.
From a physical standpoint, you can have all kinds of changes. You will have increased muscle mass and increased endurance, but the side effects can include a plethora of problems. The worst being liver damage, and cancer. You can have acne, excessive hair growth or loss. Testicular atrophy (shrinking), etc.
What is the reward vs. risk? The reward being a quick avenue for increased muscle mass, increased performance, and increased endurance. A feeling of invincibility. The risk is permanent physical morbidity and psychotic episodes that include aggression, violence, and rapid mood swings. Also feelings of depression and suicide. Is the reward worth it? Absolutely not! Yet it is abused by athletes today for the quick gain of fortune and fame. It is believed that by using a steroid in baseball it will lead you down the path of fortune and fame.
There has been a lot of controversy whether Mark McGwire or Barry Bonds or Gary Sheffield and others have used a steroid in baseball. There is the infamous BALCO incident where there are accusations that Barry's long time friend Greg Anderson was supplying Barry with an untrackable steroid, sometimes called "the cream" or "the clear". Which raised a lot of questions in the baseball world. Did they use a steroid in baseball and is there proof it enhanced their game? We can draw several conclusions from this.
First off, is there any proof that a steroid in baseball has enhanced the record book with unfair records. At this time, no. We have to remember a couple of things before trying to point fingers, etc. Barry Bonds went on to have an unbelievable season setting a single season record of home runs that will probably never be surpassed in my mind. This happened from a guy that usually averaged around 35 homers a season. Can you explain the sudden jump in home runs? Probably not. But you can make the assumption that he has matured to the top of his game and that he had a dream season.
Now, let's look at Roger Maris. When Roger went on to hit 61 home runs from a guy that usually never hit that many. Did everyone in the world suddenly start saying there must be a steroid in baseball that he is using? Or he must be doing something to enhance his game. No they did not. They assumed that he just had a magical season that only comes around ever so often. Can we draw the same conclusions about Barry, and about Mark? Yes, we can. Could it be that they had magical seasons? Absolutely.
Until the evidence comes out, we don't know what any athlete is doing. What I do know as a former major leaguer is how difficult it is to perform at such a high level day in and day out. In my mind, whether they are doing steroids or not, you still have to hit the ball over the fence. You still have to make solid contact consistently. You still have to have great fundamentals. I think what has happened on the baseball field has been remarkable and we are lucky to be able to witness such great athletes perform daily.
Steroids in my mind take away from the game. Even though they provide a quick explosion of muscle mass and endurance, over the long run, they will harm you. They will cause psychotic events, and physical damage that will last a life time. The bottom line is simple. Play the game the way it is meant to be played. Play with honor and pride and dignity. And above all, leave steroids out of it.Using a steroid in baseball is simply not worth it.
Bill Bathe- former major league ballplayer who played in 1989 world series. Been coached by Eddie Matthews, Harmon Killebrew, Billy Williams, and Dusty Baker to name a few. You can learn more by visiting http://www.pro-baseball-drills-and-equipment.com which provides tips, advice, drills, equipment and video analysis of your swing. Also, inspirational stories and pictures of the journey to the big leagues.

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

Mike Marshall: Baseball's Latest Pariah?

Can this pitching motion really end all injuries?

He claims to have invented a baseball pitching motion that will end all injuries. See for yourself. This video clip shows Jeff Sparks, the Mike Marshall student and former Tampa Devil Rays pitcher, demonstrating Marshall's Maxline Fastball, Maxline Pronation Curve, and Maxline True Screwball.

Click here for the video [Yahoo!]
Click here for Dr. Mike Marshall's pitching website
Click here to discuss this delivery with others

Conditioning

Offseason Conditioning That Produces Champions

By: Brad Warnimont

The game of baseball is played in a series of short quick bursts, so as coaches, why not condition athletes in the offseason to enhance those attributes in players. The goal is to turn average players into contributors and good players into great players. Utilize the lifting program three days a week--Tuesday, Thursday and Sundays. Like many other programs with time and facility limitations, the entire body is worked in those three days. On alternate days, Monday and Wednesday, the agility program is used. Split the entire squad into two groups and work for one-half hour. In agility workouts, use many exercises that improve players' reaction time, power and explosion. Two workouts are recommended. The first workout is a station workout, and the second workout is a stairwell workout accompanied with plyometrics. In the station workout, the players exercise at each station for one minute (2 to 30 second sets). In between each station, the players run a backward lap on the track.

The stations are as follows:
Two laps in 25 seconds each (track 1/11 of a mile)
Medicine ball abdominal work - 10 pounds. Two players back-to-back passing the ball over head (one set) and waist high (one set)
One legged dot-to-dot (both legs)
Jump rope
Reverse curls - wrist rolls with straight bar
Mountain climbers
Plyometrics - 12 inches, 24 inches, 36 inches only (one set on top, one set up and over)
Two-legged dot-to-dot (both feet each spot)
Throw-downs (abdominals)
One-legged half squats
Lateral hops over a 12-inch cone
Step ups - 24 inches
Side crunches with 10-pound medicine ball NOTE: In the complete workout, run over a mile backwards.
The Stairwell Workout is as follows:
Two-feet bunny hop - every step, two times.
Two-feet bunny hop - two steps, two times.
Two-feet bunny hop - three steps, two times.
Two-feet bunny hop - four steps, two times.
Two-feet bunny hop - as many as possible, two times.
One-legged hop - alternate legs, two times.
One-legged hop - two steps alternate legs, two times.
One-legged hop - three steps alternate legs, two times.
HOP up three steps, down two steps.
HOP up two steps, down one step.
Sit ups - 15 second sets for three minutes. Plyometrics (using boxes):
Box Height - 12 inches, 24 inches, 36 inches, 48 inches, 54 inches.
Workout - six times through, jumping on top of boxes and six times jumping up and over the boxes. The boxes are placed three feet apart.