Fielding How do you become a good fielder? At any position, the answer is simple...hard work. There are some players that are naturally gifted fielders, but without hard work, they are nothing. Likewise, even those who are not as talented as others can compensate by working harder than the rest. Take extra ground balls, and shag extra flies. During batting practice when others might be socializing, take the time to field balls off the bat. This will set you apart! <BGSOUND SRC="http://insidetheparkhomerun.com/ballgame.mid" LOOP="INFINITE"> Ted Williams Do some research on Ted Williams. As a sports icon, Williams was the best. Not only was he one of the best hitters of all time, he was a dignified man, a war hero and one to be looked upon with great admiration. MOST INSIDE THE PARK HOME RUNS IN A SEASON Ty Cobb hit 9 inside the park home runs with the Detroit Tigers in the season of 1909. STUDENT OF THE WEEK January 12-16, 2009 Spring Commencement May 6, 2017 PAGES Home Change Up Jr. League 2009 Cincinnati Reds 2010 Team Dance Riverwalk, Health, & Nature Garden and surrounding area

The four-seam fastball The four-seam fastball is the best pitch in baseball. The four-seamer is the fastest and the easiest pitch to locate for a strike. To grip the pitch, place your index and middle fingertips directly on the perpendicular seam of the baseball with the "horseshoe seam" facing into the ring finger of the throwing hand. Next, place your thumb directly beneath the baseball, resting on the smooth leather. Ideally, you should rest your thumb in the center of the horseshoe seam, on the bottom part of the baseball. Grip this pitch softly, like an egg. Grip the pitch in your fingertips. There should be a "gap" between the ball and your palm. This is the key to throwing a good, hard four-seam fastball with maximal backspin and velocity: Having a loose grip minimizes "friction" between your hand and the baseball. The less friction, of course, the quicker the baseball can leave your hand. THE GAME People don't play sports because its fun. Ask any athlete, most of them hate it, but they couldn't imagine their life with out it. Its part of them, the love/hate relationship. Its what they live for. They live for the practices, parties, cheers, long bus rides, invitationals, countless pairs of different types of shoes, water, Gatorade, & coaches you hate but appreciate. They live for the way it feels when they beat the other team, and knowing those two extra sprints they ran in practice were worth it. They live for the way they become a family with their team, they live for the countless songs they sing in their head while training all those hours. They live for the competition, they live for the friends, the practices, the memories, the pain, its who they are. It's who we are. Heaven, Baseball: Joke A former manager of the New York Yankees once told about a dream he had in which he died and went to heaven. There he was ordered to organize and manage a ball team. He said he was overwhelmed by all the available talent - Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson, Rube Waddell, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and many other superstars. Just then the phone rang. It was Satan calling to challenge the heavenly team to a game. "But you haven't got a chance of winning," said the manager. "You see I got all the great ball players up here." Satan explained, "Oh, I know that. But I've got all the umpires!" - Hastings WHAT IS AN INSIDE THE PARK HOME RUN? In almost all cases, a home run involves hitting the ball over the outfield fence in fair territory. Very rarely does a batter can hit the ball in play and circle all the bases before the fielders can throw him out; this is called an inside the park home run, and typically requires that the batter be a quick runner, and that either the ball is made difficult to reach due to caroming in unexpected ways, structural variances and peculiarities of different ballparks, an outfielder diving to catch a ball but missing it totally, or possibly a collision between fielders. If the ball is misplayed and labeled an error by the official scorer, that will preclude a home run on that play. This free script provided by JavaScript Kit SINCE MAY 11, 2006 Free Hit Counter