And that means it is time for baseb…. Er, (try that again) SPRING IS IN THE AIR, and that means it is time for BASEB….
<sigh>
Hello? It is April, and while I can accept some cold mornings, even a few with frost on the window, it is supposed to warm up during the day. Especially the days we have baseball practice and games. Somewhere, the memo got lost yesterday. Yesterday during the two hours we were practicing, the temperature fell from 52 degrees to 48 degrees (Farrenheit), and the wind stayed a consistent 14-15 mph. Not ideal softball/baseball conditions.
After about half to three quarters of an hour watching my wife’s softball girls (9-12 years old) shiver and try to field balls with a hand in their pocket, we went inside to discuss some of the “mental” aspects of the game. Yes, I’m probably getting soft in my old age, but it was pretty chilly out there. The boys had arrived and were ready to take the field for my son’s practice anyway, so it all worked out.
We talked over some of the difficult baseball concepts to pick up on. Everyone has trouble understanding the idea behind force outs and tag outs. The principle is simple, but in the heat of a play it can be hard to determine. Simply, if a runner has anywhere else he can safely run to, you have to tag him. If the runner has no where else to go safely, you can simply step on the base. The simplest form of this is the batter running to first base. He can’t turn around; he has to go to first. So the fielder only has to step on the base to get him out. It gets more complicated with more base-runners and previous actions on the same play. For example, when the boys were practicing, the bases were loaded and the batter hit the ball to the first baseman. The first baseman stepped on first for a quick and easy out because the batter was forced to run. The first baseman then threw the ball home where the catcher got the ball and dove at and touched the plate just before the runner, but he didn’t tag the runner. The call?
The runner at home was safe because once the out was recorded at first base, all the runners had the option of safely returning to the base they had come from (the runner going home could have returned to third). Not confusing at all. 
The other thing we talked about is positioning. One fact of baseball that I try to drive into every player I coach is that there is no such thing as a spectator on the field. That means if you find yourself not moving after a ball is hit an just standing watching, you are not doing what you are supposed to be doing. This is a difficult concept for everyone, but especially difficult for kids. Once they leave the T-ball age (where the entire field runs after the ball no matter where it goes), they tend to stand and watch if the play isn’t coming their way. In reality, everyone has a place to be on every play; even the outfielders should be moving to back up the infielders. If you have an opportunity to watch a professional baseball game, pick an inning and choose a player. For example, during the 6th inning, watch the second baseman regardless of where the ball and the play go. You will find that the professionals are always moving, or at least, the good professionals are always moving. When the play is not coming at them, they will be backing someone up. That makes all the difference in the defense ability of your team.
Thursday is supposed to be sunny with a high of 73 degrees. The wind is supposed to be the same, but with the higher temperature, I don’t expect we will mind. I hope the weather is as good as the forecast because we promised the girls we would work on their batting.
CC
