Baseball Trade Review: Carlos Beltran Deal

 by: Dustin Smiley

The Carlos Beltran sweepstakes are over and the Houston Astros are the winners. After spending the offseason recruiting Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte, the Astros have found themselves mired back in the pack of a tough NL Central division race.

Beltran brings a flashy glove to center field and some excitement and run production to the top of the lineup. Of course, players like him dont come without a cost. Houston sent away closer Octavio Dotel and catcher-of-the-future John Buck.

The added wild-card is that Beltrans contract expires at the end of this season. Should the Astros fail to reach the playoffs and also lose their new star center fielder to free agency, this deal could haunt them in the future.

Kansas City, Beltrans former team, sent Dotel on to Oakland in exchange for two prospects, third baseman Mark Teahan and pitcher Mike Wood. The Royals had decided they wouldnt be able to match Beltrans asking price this offseason and picked up the best value they thought they could get. Oftentimes these deals turn out very favorable for the team willing to trade current talent for high-potential minor leaguers.

The Oakland Athletics jumped in to make this a 3-way deal and filled a big need by picking up a consistent closer. Arthur Rhodes had excelled with other teams in a setup role but hasnt fared well closing out games for the As. Nothing is more frustrating to a starter than to pitch hard through seven or eight innings in a close game only to see a win slip away in the ninth. Oakland boasts one of the best rotations in baseball and a solidified bullpen should help them overtake Texas and maybe even make a run in the playoffs.

This trade will be seen as a success or failure for both Houston and Oakland by the end of the 2004 season. For Kansas City, however, it could be a few years before anyone knows how their 3 new players will pan out. All three teams did well in accomplishing something that made sense for their situation.

Real Players Hit With Wood

Let me say this up front
I do not like aluminum bats . . . but Ill win with them.
Practice with wood . . . and youll win with aluminum.

Its really very simple. An aluminum bat swing can be mechanically flawed but still get results. Inflated averages & power numbers abound with huge aluminum sweet spots & tricked-out metal alloys!

But eventually bigger fields and better pitching eliminates many aluminum bat hitters well before High School . . . and it doesnt have to be!

Allow me to explain . . .
Much of the physical side of the game is about:
BATSPEED
HANDSPEED
FOOTSPEED

Much of hitting is about:
TIMING & BALANCE (Strength helps too)

Wood Bats feel head-heavy, with much smaller sweet spots so any imperfections in a swing are magnified. (Are you getting the picture?)

Training with wood forces the player to become mechanically precise & builds bat speed and strength. Additionally, wood trains hitters to really learn the strike zone and not swing at bad pitches (ever hit one off the end or the handle? . . . it hurts and many times it breaks!)

To successfully swing with wood

Trigger the hands earlier into the load position
Keep your hands inside the ball (meaning hands closer to the body throughout the swing to make for a quick rotation to the ball)
Stick with it until your muscle memory acclimates to this new weapon.
#1 Defined
Dead Hands Kill Players!
The first thing a hitter must do is take away the pitcher’s fastball. In general, that is a pitcher’s best pitch. From Clemens, Johnson, Martinez & Maddux, to the baddest pitcher in your league. Spot the fastball and you are a real pitcher. Ok, hitter what are you going to do about it? Youre going to crush it thats what!

Hands Start The Swing!
Start your swing with your hands (its your timing mechanism). . . and you can time a jet or a fastball! Call it a trigger, load or hitch, its all the same. Just get some movement from your hands starting when the pitcher separates his hands from his glove with a movement toward the back shoulder.

#2 Defined
Keep Your Hands Inside The BallWhat?
Keep your hands 4-6 inches from your body throughout the swing. Think about hitting the inside half of the baseball (the half thats closest to you). This will train you to have a shorter, quicker stroke and will help keep balls straight and not allow them to hook foulsee Barry Bonds!

#3 Defined
Use your wood bat instead of your game aluminum for tee work, soft toss, in a cage & when hitting live pitching & youll get the results youre looking for!

NOTES:
Wood Increases Bat Speed!
Bat Speed Equals Power!

In summary, any player or team that trains with wood will hit the ball harder, plus increase contact and power over all who dont. Ask any hitting coach.

Coaching Hint
Kids, like adults, do not necessarily care for change. Get creative, make it cool like real ballplayers and they may accept it easier. Use marker to put their number on the knob. Tape the handle. Buy some stick-em. Have them use a permanent marker and put their “Signature on the business end.”

The Rules
Since January 1, 2001, high school players nationwide must use bats that weigh no less than 3 oz. of their length (meaning a 33″ bat can’t weigh less than 30 oz.). The barrel diameters have shrunk from 2-3/4″ to 2-5/8″ and the exit velocities were changed so that batted balls dont “jump” off the bat as quickly. In other words, these bats more resemble the performance of wood.

Younger players take note! The college bat rules have changed, the high schools have changed, and the changes may not be finished. So, train with wood and you will win with aluminum.

Where To Buy Wood Bats
Need em cheap? - Try a Kmart or Walmart for around $25.00.

Need em great? - We carry Brett Bats (yes, that Brett family) Check em out.

Get your free instructional articles at www.baseballtips.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Betting on baseball totals provides outstanding value and opportunities to profit from for a variety of reasons:

Home plate umpires have tendencies that can be exploited. In baseball, more so than any other sport, the home plate umpire has a tremendous impact on the game because of the size of his strike zone. Each umpire has a different strike zone, some are wider, others are tighter. Umpires with a wider strike zone favors the pitchers while umpires with a smaller strike zone will favor the batters.

Baseball totals streaks are not as noted by the Public or the media providing excellent line value for the astute handicapper. Nothing drives away line value quicker than the Public’s backing. For the first part of the 2004 baseball season, lefty - lefty matchups of starting pitchers were ringing up unders at an alarming rate. Unfortunately for the Public, it appears that they jumped on the bandwagon too late as the trend is reversing to Overs in these matchups (as all trends do with time). Unfortunately, the Public has driven up the line on Unders in these matchups, so they’re losses are more than they should be do to the inflated lines and lack of value.

Sportsbooks don’t have as much room to adjust their totals. Baseball totals typically range from a low of 6.5 and a high of 12 (except for Coors Field which produces an abundance of high scoring affairs). When two hot hitting teams face off against one another against average starting pitching, the total will not go above 12 (-145) in most instances. Likewise, when two cold hitting teams play against two dominant starters, the total will not drop below 6.5 while laying no more than (-145). However, if a Top 10 pitcher on a winning team faces a struggling team and pitcher you may have to lay -300 to win $100.

Capping totals involves many components:

1) We start be reviewing who the home plate umpire will be. If this is the first game of a series, this information will usually not be available until an hour before game time. The umpires follow a rotation with the first base umpire behind the plate the next night. Pay attention to the umpires over/under record in their games called and the percentage of strikes that they call. Once again, a higher percentage of strikes will more than likely produce Unders as the wider strike zone favors the pitchers. A lower percentage of called strikes will favor the batters as they will more than likely be facing hitters counts where the pitcher will have to throw a strike.

2) Look at each teams over/under record in their last 10 games. Also note any current streaks. Ideally, you want to jump on a team at the beginning of a streak. A solid hitting team like the Yankees, if their bats have been quiet the last few games, a break out is more than likely looming. Conversely, a light hitting team like the Expos recent string of overs might be nearing an end. When looking at each teams over/under streak, note if it is solid hitting or shaky pitching producing overs or weak hitting and excellent pitching ringing up Unders. Also look at how each teams batting average and runs scored fares against lefties or righties depending on the starting pitcher.

3) Review each teams starting pitchers combined over/under record on the season and in their last 3 games. Pay attention to the combined pitchers WHIP (walks and hits per 9 innings). Note any trends such as an average pitcher with a propensity towards overs that has been pitching better of late as noted by his recent string of unders and drop in WHIP.

4) Look at the bullpens. Have they seen extensive action over the last few days? Are they over or under performing in recent games as compared to their season history? Are any pitchers in the pen unavailable from too much work the previous night?

When you combine the following factors, it should be fairly obvious which way to go with the Over/Under. Do not force action. Only play those games that have the highest probability of going Over or Under the total based on your researched facts.

Baseball totals, while often over looked by the average handicapper, can be very profitable and swing the value in the handicappers favor. By tracking a teams recent hitting and pitching performances, while also factoring in the home plate umpire tendencies, solid total betting values can be found to swing the advantage to the Capper!

Good Luck!

Home plate umpires have tendencies that can be exploited. In baseball, more so than any other sport, the home plate umpire has a tremendous impact on the game because of the size of his strike zone. Each umpire has a different strike zone, some are wider, others are tighter. Umpires with a wider strike zone favors the pitchers while umpires with a smaller strike zone will favor the batters.

Baseball totals streaks are not as noted by the Public or the media providing excellent line value for the astute handicapper. Nothing drives away line value quicker than the Public’s backing. For the first part of the 2004 baseball season, lefty - lefty matchups of starting pitchers were ringing up unders at an alarming rate. Unfortunately for the Public, it appears that they jumped on the bandwagon too late as the trend is reversing to Overs in these matchups (as all trends do with time). Unfortunately, the Public has driven up the line on Unders in these matchups, so they’re losses are more than they should be do to the inflated lines and lack of value.

Sportsbooks don’t have as much room to adjust their totals. Baseball totals typically range from a low of 6.5 and a high of 12 (except for Coors Field which produces an abundance of high scoring affairs). When two hot hitting teams face off against one another against average starting pitching, the total will not go above 12 (-145) in most instances. Likewise, when two cold hitting teams play against two dominant starters, the total will not drop below 6.5 while laying no more than (-145). However, if a Top 10 pitcher on a winning team faces a struggling team and pitcher you may have to lay -300 to win $100.

Capping totals involves many components:

1) We start be reviewing who the home plate umpire will be. If this is the first game of a series, this information will usually not be available until an hour before game time. The umpires follow a rotation with the first base umpire behind the plate the next night. Pay attention to the umpires over/under record in their games called and the percentage of strikes that they call. Once again, a higher percentage of strikes will more than likely produce Unders as the wider strike zone favors the pitchers. A lower percentage of called strikes will favor the batters as they will more than likely be facing hitters counts where the pitcher will have to throw a strike.

2) Look at each teams over/under record in their last 10 games. Also note any current streaks. Ideally, you want to jump on a team at the beginning of a streak. A solid hitting team like the Yankees, if their bats have been quiet the last few games, a break out is more than likely looming. Conversely, a light hitting team like the Expos recent string of overs might be nearing an end. When looking at each teams over/under streak, note if it is solid hitting or shaky pitching producing overs or weak hitting and excellent pitching ringing up Unders. Also look at how each teams batting average and runs scored fares against lefties or righties depending on the starting pitcher.

3) Review each teams starting pitchers combined over/under record on the season and in their last 3 games. Pay attention to the combined pitchers WHIP (walks and hits per 9 innings). Note any trends such as an average pitcher with a propensity towards overs that has been pitching better of late as noted by his recent string of unders and drop in WHIP.

4) Look at the bullpens. Have they seen extensive action over the last few days? Are they over or under performing in recent games as compared to their season history? Are any pitchers in the pen unavailable from too much work the previous night?

When you combine the following factors, it should be fairly obvious which way to go with the Over/Under. Do not force action. Only play those games that have the highest probability of going Over or Under the total based on your researched facts.

Baseball totals, while often over looked by the average handicapper, can be very profitable and swing the value in the handicappers favor. By tracking a teams recent hitting and pitching performances, while also factoring in the home plate umpire tendencies, solid total betting values can be found to swing the advantage to the Capper!

Good Luck!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Being a baseball coach can be very rewarding. It is a big responsibility, though. You are basically the ?leader? of your team, and how you act will directly affect how the assistant coaches and the players act. There are some tips you can follow to make yourself a better baseball coach.
These tips are:

1. Give everyone on your baseball team a responsibility. Make each and every person on the team feel if they don?t do something, it won?t get done! Any accomplishments made by a member of the team are shared by the whole team. (It is important to give recognition to individuals, though.)

2. Help everyone on your baseball team make good, informed decisions. As the baseball coach, you need to guide and teach the players to make the good decisions you want them to make. Don?t bully the baseball team to do what you want them to do, just encourage them to do what is best.

3. Always treat your baseball team like they are winners! If your baseball players feel like winners, they will be more likely to win.

4. Let everyone on your baseball team know you care. Be interested in every individual baseball player. Encourage them and show them your support. Look at your behavior around your baseball team and evaluate it carefully.

5. Help your baseball team understand the meaning of playing with good sportsmanship! Good sportsmanship is just as important as winning. Make sure your baseball players understand the meaning of fair play from the moment you become their baseball coach.

6. Make sure you motivate and reward your baseball team players. Just knowing the basic skills and strategies of baseball won?t necessarily make you a very good baseball coach. Being a baseball coach is truly more than just teaching these things. A really good coach can motivate a baseball team to do its best! Good baseball coaches understand and can empathize with the players? feelings of joy, anger, anxiety, frustration, and pride.

7. Don?t make your baseball practices boring or repetitious. Shake up practices by playing games and teaching new techniques and plays. Since only 9 players can play at a time, make sure to keep the rest of the baseball team feeling useful by having them keep score or charting pitching and offence. Make sure to keep each baseball player feeling they have an important role in winning.

8. Make sure you have a plan for your baseball team. Just like a teacher needs to plan for the school year, a baseball coach needs a plan for the season. Having no plan is a sure road to failure.

9. Give your baseball team enough time to review things they have learned. Whether at the end of a practice or the end of a game, give your players time to review what has been learned and what could be improved upon. Keep the review as positive in tone as possible.

10. Make sure you communicate with your baseball team. If you cannot get across to your baseball team what you want, how will they know what to do?

About the Author: Sintilia Miecevole, host of http://www.reelbaseball.com provides you with baseball information from games, cards and equipment to teams, gloves, pictures and more. Be sure to visit http://www.reelbaseball.com for the latest news.

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<CENTER><font color=”DARKBLUE”size=6>Our Top Story~

<font color=”RED”size=4>BASEBALL:

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The early part of the Twentieth Century saw the rise of an age that has come to be known as the Dead Ball Era of baseball. The Dead Ball Era reportably spanned the Progressive Reform Age leading up to the Roaring Twenties, which ran from 1900 to 1919. During this time, professional and semi-professional ball clubs relied heavily on defense and pitching, and scoring was at a premium.

Pitchers dominated the pace of the games, and several legendary pitchers established their lasting legacy during this period. Some of the most notable were Cy Young, Walter Johnson and Grover Cleveland Alexander. In part, these fellows and several others were responsible for a lack of offensive production during this period, but there were other reasons as well.

“Dead Ball” also describes the baseball’s actual condition, especially in the latter stages of the games after it had been manipulated, defaced and altered, which was standard practice at that time. Baseballs were considered expensive, and at three dollars each, generally only one ball was used per game. The hardness and aerodynamics of the ball were poor by modern standards and thus the sphere was detrimental to a hitter’s success.

In general terms, even though the ball was “dead” by most accounts, it actually did not provide a huge advantage to either offense or defense. The ball could not be hit for great distance, but the poor condition of the ball decreased the speed while increasing the movement of the pitch, thus making it somewhat easier for the hitters to make contact. Hit balls did not generate the tremendous speed off the bat as in today’s game. This benefited the defenders in the field. Balls were only replaced if they were hit into the stands and lost. There were not many long-ball hitters and “short game” strategy was common, although some sources say that strategy as a whole was lacking in the Dead Ball Era, which may have further added to a lack of offensive production.

The “foul-strike” rule was installed in 1901 in the National League and 1903 in the American, whereas hitters were charged with their first two strikes on foul balls. The new rule benefited pitchers and cause offensive output to decline further. It also remained legal to throw “spit balls”, and although illegal, defacing the ball in some way was a very common practice. Consequently, as you might expect with these conditions, hitting a soft, wet, and usually defaced ball resulted in may singles and fewer doubles, triples and homers.

Dividing pitching responsibility among a larger bullpen also became trendy, as did the sacrifice bunt. Both of these strategies had a detrimental effect as well on a hitter’s overall performance. Strangely, there were some legendary record setting hitters from this era, most notably, Ty Cobb. Hailing from Georgia, his nickname was the “Georgia Peach,” Cobb was best known for his pinpoint hitting accuracy and his never-say-die stubborn character. He set the record for career batting average at .366 and for runs scored with 2,245; both marks still stand to this day. He also finished his career first in hits; this record stood until the mid-1980s when Pete Rose broke the record. In 1936, Ty Cobb became the very first inductee of baseball’s Hall of Fame, earning 222 out of 226 votes.

During the “Dead Ball Era”, managers relied on defensive strategy much more than offensive strategy. It was said, “you could shake a tree and find a bat, but finding a glove was a whole different matter.” Offensive skills were not highly sought after by managers. The focus was on defense. Some critics argue that “dead” baseballs probably were not the cause of low scoring, given there was no change in the ball’s construction between the high scoring 1890s and the low scoring 1900s. The 1894 season saw the highest offensive totals in runs scored ever recorded in the National League. The construction of the ball was changed in 1911 in an attempt to make the ball livelier and to increase scoring. The balls were corked for the first time. And yet, the Dead ball Era continued for another eight years-until 1919.

In 1908, an incident occurred in the National League that has come to be widely known as the “Merkle Incident.” It occurred during a regular season meeting between the Giants and the Cubs, In a tie game with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, runners on first and third, a single hit by Al Bridwell apparently won the game for the Giants as the runner scored from third. However, Fred Merkle was on first and ran to the clubhouse instead of advancing to second base, partly because the fans were mobbing the field at the Polo Grounds and partly because it was not entirely customary in that era to run out game winning hits. The Cubs’ second baseman, Johnny Evers later claimed to have alertly retrieved the ball and tagged second base. By a strict interpretation of the rules, Merkle was forced out at second, and the game winning run nullified. Because of the pandemonium on the field, none of the umpires saw Evers make the play. Since an official protest was registered, the League ordered the game replayed at the end of the season only if it was necessary. It turned out that it was necessary when the Cubs and Giants ended the regular season tied for first place. The Cubs won the replayed game and then went on to win the League pennant and then the World Series. The Chicago Cubs have not won a World Series since.

Even though it wasn’t brought to the media’s and public’s attention until 1920, no article on the Dead Ball Era would be complete without mentioning The White Sox of 1919, or as they have become widely known: the “Black Sox”. Many of the White Sox players felt they were underpaid. This was in light of a new trend where owners in both leagues offered the best players much higher salaries than they had been previously paid. At the same time, White Sox Owner Charlie Comiskey felt cutting costs was the best response to a poor showing by his team in 1918. As a result, a conspiracy ensued by eight of the starting White Sox players to throw the World Series.

Many observers of the series suspected this was the case and a long running controversy eventually led to a Grand Jury investigation. Eddie Cicotte was the first to come forward and admit his part in the conspiracy, followed by “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. All eight of the “Black Sox” were suspended from baseball. Even though there was no law against conspiring to throw baseball games, and all 8 players were eventually acquitted, they were all ruled permanently ineligible.

About the Author

This article was written by FR Penn sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com. If you’re looking for baseball tickets to see your favorite team live in action, look no further than Stubhub.com where fans buy and sell the hottest sports tickets. Reproductions of this article are encouraged but must include a link back to http://www.stubhub.com.

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February 1 , 2005

Sometime last year while sitting at my desk I began to feel excited. No, it wasn’t because my new pair of jeans was slightly too tight and applying too much pressure on my prostate. It was because I realized how exciting of a sports year 2006 was going to be. Besides the usual great events such as the Super Bowl and March Madness there was also the World Cup of Soccer and Olympic Hockey to look forward to. But just when I thought it couldn’t get any better than that, the powers that be added the World Cup of Baseball, or the World Baseball Classic as I later found it to be named. Three huge global events in a matter of 6 months with March Madness sprinkled in the middle, how can you top that? Well that was then, and this is now.

In reality, I have no one to blame but myself for the let down that I have come to experience. How could I have been so stupid? I mean, surely I should have realized that Bud Selig was running the show and that doom was certainly impending. It may look all well and good now, but here are ten reasons why I wont be watching the World Baseball Calamity, err, Classic.

10. No Yankee pitchers will be allowed to pitch. There is no way that Steinbrenner is going to risk his investments and allow his pitchers to participate in this tournament. Chin Ming Wong is currently listed on the roster of Chinese Taipei, but look for that to change in the next month as they trim rosters from 60 to 30 (this will be a recurring theme throughout the countdown).

9. Chinese Taipei. Just the fact that Chinese Taipei has a team in this thing makes me question its very fabric. Im not exactly sure yet if this is a real country, or just a made up land where every Asian with a hyphenated name was forced to migrate to.

8. Mike Piazza playing for Italy. Give me a break. If you’re going to allow a country to play in the WBC then at least let them lose with their own players. Putting a future hall of famer in their lineup just because his name ends in a vowel seems a little vulgar to me.

7. South Africa. Check out the teams that have been slated in Team USA’s pool: Canada, Mexico, and South Africa? Its one thing to throw this country into the WBC mix, which joins China as being the only teams with a roster that lacks a player who plays on a current major league team, but to put them in a pool with the other North American countries just to give USA one less challenge? Seems pretty obvious to me what’s going on here, not to mention pathetic.

6. Players choosing their country. One of the things that was an initial draw for me was that, being called the World Baseball Classic, I assumed I would be watching the best that each country had to offer while they battled it out against each other. Well, apparently baseball players get to choose where they would like to have been born, and then play for that country. Besides Piazza playing for Italy, you have A’s pitchers Kirk Saarloos and Danny Haren joining former A’s pitcher Mark Mulder on the Netherlands (and after all, Mark Mulder was in fact born in South Holland, Illinois, which, besides the fact that the city contains the word Holland in it, is practically right next door to the Netherlands), and American born Nomar Garciaparra is playing for Mexico (although Michael Young who is half Mexican is playing for Team USA). You also have Alex Rodriguez playing for the Dominican Republic, but then not playing at all, and now apparently playing for the US, even though both the Dominican and US rosters list him as a player for their team. My guess is that by next week he may just decide to play for a World Series of Poker bracelet. While they’re at it they might as well let Barry Bonds play for South Africa. The list goes on and on, which once again shows that this tournament has little to do with national pride, and a lot to do with the financial gain of major league baseball.

5. Drug Testing. Because of the strict Olympic style drug testing, you will be sure to see many more players for the US and other countries drop out of this just as Barry Bonds did. Bonds, who is once again under the delusion that people actually think he is clean, first said he would be honored to play for his country, but recently dropped out, citing the fact that he wants to take more time to rest his knees. Interestingly, he had ample opportunity to announce this in front of the large number of media that was in attendance during a recent celebrity golf tournament Bonds attended, but he instead chose to make the announcement via his web site where he of course is able to avoid any questions that people may want to ask of him. Look for other big names, most notably Roger Clemens, to drop off the roster before they go from 60 to 30 in the next month for similar reasons. The fact is that MLB’s drug testing policy is a joke, and no urine test is going to come close to detecting HGH or anything else that has been newly developed. Even some blood tests will not detect the new designer steroids out there, but it does increase the chance that you will get exposed. However, that is another discussion for another day.

4. All about the money. Let’s face it; the only reason that we are even talking about the World Baseball Classic is because Major League Baseball wants to generate more revenue. Just look at the adds throughout MLB.com. They are even using guilt in order to sell tickets, such as “Your favorite players are supporting their countries. Now its your turn to support yours.” Give me a break. Kind of funny how the rosters are still at 60 players. Wouldn’t it be funny it right after the tickets were sold out they just happened to cut the rosters down to 30, and all the players you wanted to “support” decided they didn’t want to play in March and risk injury? Interesting how that works out.

3. Pitch Counts and Mercy Rules. You heard me right, the WBC has set pitch counts for each round of the World Baseball Classic. For the first round it is set at 65 pitches, and it increases to a whopping 80 pitches in the second round and 95 pitches for the semi’s and finals. Apparently if a pitcher reaches 65 pitches in the midst of an at bat he may finish out that batter, which begs the question does a pitcher who is coming up on his 64th pitch try even harder to throw a strike, regardless of the count, in order to force the batter to make contact in the hope of being able to face one last batter? Talk about changing the way players play the game! They also adopted a mercy rule of 15 runs after 5 innings or 10 runs after 7 in order to end blowouts in a timelier manner. If I wanted to watch little league baseball I would wait until the summer time.

2. March Madness. Talk about poor planning. The WBC takes place smack dab in the middle of March, right during the peak of college basketball’s tournament season. Last year baseball tried to upstage the NCAA with their steroid hearings, and now this? Nice try Bud.

1. Bud Selig. The definition of a poor leader. Sure he got lucky with realignment, the wild card, and interleague play (which by now has kind of lost its luster), but any moron who just happened to be the commissioner during the 90’s would have come up with the same ideas. It was just a matter of time. He single handedly made football the most popular sport in America, and let the issue of steroids run amuck in the world of baseball. Say what you will about George W. Bush, but at least he surrounds himself with competent people. Selig’s cronies are just as clueless as he is. Once again Selig is proving that he’s just about putting money in the pockets of his owners, and that he will continue to milk the fans for all they are worth.

So before you tune in to see just what the World Baseball Classic has to offer, remember these ten things I have laid before you. Don’t make the same mistake you did last year and miss some exciting college hoops because you want to see how uncomfortable some congressmen can make Mark McGwire and Donald Fehr look. Watch something that really matters, not spring training baseball masquerading as the real thing.

RAC’S RANT will appear twice each month on SportsLizard.com. You can contact Dick Richards at racsrant@hotmail.com

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About the Author

My name is Dick Richards and I am fortunate to be able to write a bi-weekly column for www.sportslizard.com. The name of the column is Rac’s Rant, and basically I am able to vent on certain topics that have caught my eye during the past week or so, whether they be sports related or not. The column is relatively new, but I look forward to growing as a writer on sportsliard.com as it grows into the great sports collectibles site that it will become.

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Nike baseball gloves are a somewhat new endeavor for the company, although in recent years they have grown in approval. The company offers gloves in two product lines : “Pro Gold” and “SDR”, with Pro Gold being the higher end gloves selling for higher price, and the SDR gloves selling from mid to higher price. Nike baseball gloves offer a “dri-fit” finger lining designed to keep the hand cool and dry, as well as a tanning process they claim makes Nike baseball gloves available for immediate use on the field.

Nike baseball gloves are just the latest product put out by the sporting goods and clothing goliath. Nike has long been known for its sneakers, its specialty sport cleats, it workout gear, its hats, and its sports gear. Only recently, however, Nike has endeavored to apply its one of a kind take on sports to the world of baseball gloves.

The outcome is a bat that in recent years has gained in status and popularity. Their gloves comes in two different styles, Pro Gold and SDR. Pro Gold is the higher end product, which sells for usually over one hundred dollars. SDR gloves, on the other hand, price in the range of 60 to 100 dollars.

Both Nike baseball gloves come with particular features like the “dri-fit” finger lining. This unique lining is meant to keep your hand cool and dry no matter how hard you run to grab that fly ball, or how many times the batters smack a grounder your way at shortstop. Another attribute on both models of gloves is the special tanning process that Nike implements. Nike claims the tanning process makes their gloves ready to be used on the field right off the shelf or out of the shipping package. In other words, you don’t have to be concerned about long breaking in processes with these gloves.

Still, if you’re investing good currency on these good gloves, you will want to take care of them. Caring for your Nike baseball gloves correctly can make the distinction between a glove that falls apart in a couple seasons, and one that can span years. Your first best bet on care instructions is to check with Nike to see precisely what they recommend to protect the special tanned leather and finger lining.

One thing you positively can do for your glove is to store it in a cool, dry place when you’re not using it. Heat can affect the leather, as can excess moisture. This makes the trunk of your car the last place you should toss your glove after the game. First, dry it down with a towel and let it air dry somewhere. Consider oiling your glove a couple times each season. Make sure the laces are tight. And then save the glove somewhere dry and cool like your basement.

Also consider the diamond ready tumbled full-grain leather shell is soft, supple and durable. Dual density energy arrest padding gives multi layer padding for optimal comfort and palm protection. Full grain leather palm lining for a great feel with uttermost durability. Dri-FIT finger lining features exclusive wicking fabric to keep hand cool and dry

About the Author

William Smith lives in Florida with his wife and three cats. William writes frequently on many subjects that may be of interest to all. Discover all the joys and secrets of baseball at Baseball’s Holy Grail

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Preparing the High School Body for Collegiate Baseball by Coach Dan Huff, CSCS http://www.baseballstrength.com

If you are like most high school baseball players you are much more than just a baseball player. You are also involved in basketball, football, soccer, and maybe even track and field. This means that you are also required to train for baseball as well as basketball, football, soccer, and maybe even track and field. This leaves very little room for sport specific training.

The chances are that you are in pre-season training all year long. As soon as baseball season ends you begin pre-season training for football. As soon as football season ends you begin pre-season training for basketball, and so on…

Now don’t get me wrong, there is definitely a place (and a very important one) for pre-season training, but the pre-season is just the icing on the cake. And what kind of cake would you have if it was only icing?

When you get to college you can expect a drastic change in your training styles because along with your pre-season training you will also have off-season, post-season, and in-season training. In other words, you will be training for baseball 52 weeks out of the year.

Keep this in mind during your junior and senior years of high school as you are getting ready to move onto the next level of competition. If you can begin training like a collegiate baseball player before you get to college you will have a step up on your fellow incoming freshmen.

The first thing that you will need to realize is that next season starts the day after this season ends. Sure, we will not be training all out the day after the season ends, but we will have opening day in our sights. Your training calendar needs to begin with post season training, a 4 to 6 week period where you allow your body to recover from the physical demands of the season. This is where you will be visiting your athletic training room for rehab treatments and doing a lot of low intensity work to give your body a chance to take it easy without taking it off.

After these 4-6 weeks you will begin to pump up the intensity and move into your off-season training. During the off-season you will be building your foundation for the next season. If you are lacking in strength, that will be your focus. If you are lacking in power, that will be your focus. If you are lacking in speed, that will be your focus. The key word in those statements is focus. That does not mean that we are not at all interested in the other components, we are simply focusing on your weakness.

After 8-12 weeks of off-season training you will move into your pre-season training. This is the 12 weeks leading up to your opening day. During this phase of training you will we working on the key components of the game, arm strength, acceleration, change of direction, rotational power, ect… These components will be built on the foundation that you developed during the off-season. Your in-season training will usually be 2 days of training each week consisting of preventative exercises so that you can maintain the healthiest body possible during the season.

The sooner you can prepare your body for this type of year long training for one specific sport the better off you will be during your college career.

Coach Dan Huff, CSCS http://www.baseballstrength.com

About the Author

To learn more about Coach Dan Huff and his unique baseball strength training and conditioning methods go to www.BaseballStrength.com

Baseball Trade Review: Carlos Beltran Deal

 by: Dustin Smiley

The Carlos Beltran sweepstakes are over and the Houston Astros are the winners. After spending the offseason recruiting Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte, the Astros have found themselves mired back in the pack of a tough NL Central division race.

Beltran brings a flashy glove to center field and some excitement and run production to the top of the lineup. Of course, players like him dont come without a cost. Houston sent away closer Octavio Dotel and catcher-of-the-future John Buck.

The added wild-card is that Beltrans contract expires at the end of this season. Should the Astros fail to reach the playoffs and also lose their new star center fielder to free agency, this deal could haunt them in the future.

Kansas City, Beltrans former team, sent Dotel on to Oakland in exchange for two prospects, third baseman Mark Teahan and pitcher Mike Wood. The Royals had decided they wouldnt be able to match Beltrans asking price this offseason and picked up the best value they thought they could get. Oftentimes these deals turn out very favorable for the team willing to trade current talent for high-potential minor leaguers.

The Oakland Athletics jumped in to make this a 3-way deal and filled a big need by picking up a consistent closer. Arthur Rhodes had excelled with other teams in a setup role but hasnt fared well closing out games for the As. Nothing is more frustrating to a starter than to pitch hard through seven or eight innings in a close game only to see a win slip away in the ninth. Oakland boasts one of the best rotations in baseball and a solidified bullpen should help them overtake Texas and maybe even make a run in the playoffs.

This trade will be seen as a success or failure for both Houston and Oakland by the end of the 2004 season. For Kansas City, however, it could be a few years before anyone knows how their 3 new players will pan out. All three teams did well in accomplishing something that made sense for their situation.