STRENGTHENING ARMS: A BYB FEATURE

Last month, Bleeding Yankee Blue did a story on arm injuries titled SAVING ARMS: A BYB FEATURE. Ultimately, it was filled with great information and the interview was with former minor league pitcher and current instructor Steve Hayward, co-founder of the Baseball Health Network.

That piece sited warning signs for arm injuries in our youth as well as prevention. Over the course of the last month,  I’ve continued my research and I was able to further  the discussion with former Seton Hall coach, Mike Cocco.

(In Photo: Mike Sheppard)
Cocco, who was on the Seton Hall staff under legendary Skipper Mike Sheppard, has been an American Legion Coach and youth coach for over 30 years and has vigorously studied pitching and throwing in general over the course of his life. He also happened to be on the staff when Steve Hayward pitched at Seton Hall University.

(In Photo: Mike Cocco)
Cocco and I spent time discussing some coaching and throwing concepts and misconceptions and he also shared some great ideas that he uses with his young players today. I found the whole thing fascinating.  As a general goal, Cocco stated:

“When I look back at the players I’ve coached, if 15-20 years later, they can still throw, then I know I’ve done my job.”

In order for youngsters to prepare their bodies for sports and to condition themselves to be successful, they have to be active. That's really the bottom line. Steve Hayward stated in our discussion that for his young sons, he simply creates obstacle courses at playgrounds and has them run the courses. This forces them to use their bodies and forces them to be competitive in a fun environment. Cocco says "The PS4 or Minecraft generation just doesn’t stay active enough these days."

(In Photo: Leo Mazzone, left, John Smoltz, right)
Cocco referenced something former Braves pitching Coach Leo Mazzone would tell his players: “Throw with a purpose every day.”  That doesn’t necessarily mean throw at 100%, but throw with a goal in mind. I tell my youth players as they are warming up, when they get to roughly 60 feet apart, stop there and throw me 10 change-ups. That way they work on their grip and become comfortable with the pitch.  If you are playing catch without a purpose, it’s wasted time.

Another point that is lost by some players and coaches is long toss. It's a very valuable exercise. For some reason it's overlooked very often.  Long toss builds arm strength, stamina and can assure long term arm health. Cocco suggested to use a football field to throw on if possible. The reason is that this way, the thrower will know the exact distance due to the markers. Long toss to the point where a young player can still make an accurate throw. For example, if you get to 100 feet and the player starts missing the target drastically, bring him in 10 feet and keep an eye on his accuracy.

Cocco stated; “The players should be able to keep the throw on line and hit his target more often than not.”

Cocco was full of info, and kept going. He and I agreed that players don’t practice or warm up for game situations as much as they should.  How many times have you seen a youth player throw from 40 feet then go right into infield/outfield practice? They say they're loose, but how are they prepared to throw 100-150 feet after throwing just 40?  They aren't.

(In Photo: Mike Cocco with his kids at the Hall of Fame induction of friend Craig Biggio)

Another example Cocco used was poor habits between innings.

Cocco: “Why do youth players take their warm up grounders on the infield grass? How does that prepare them for the ground ball in the hole where they have to throw the ball nearly twice as far as they did in warm ups?”

It doesn’t at all! Great point. Watch big leaguers take warm ups, they take their grounders from the outfield grass, or from the position they would be in to make the longest throw they would likely have to make during live action.

It just makes sense, doesn’t it?

Poor habits like the ones mentioned above can put players at a greater risk for injury believe it or not. But it also doesn’t prepare them for game situations. We practice to prepare for games. So why not practice by doing the same exact thing you would do in a game. It starts with simple things like wearing a helmet while you hit. It may not seem like much, but you wear it in a game, so why not wear it while preparing for a game?

While discussing pitching in general, which is always a hot topic, Cocco had some great suggestions:

Cocco: “A lot of players ask, ‘Coach, can I throw some curve balls?’ Something to look at is can they throw a fastball consistently for strikes. If they can’t throw fastballs, both two seam and four seam, and a change-up for strikes, they need to focus on that before they start messing with a more difficult pitch. That doesn’t mean they can’t throw a couple, but the emphasis should be on the fastball first.”

Another point he stressed was not throwing to the catcher’s glove, but through it. A way for the pitcher to do this is to back the catcher up two feet and force the player to throw 48’, if still in Little League, or 62’ if on the 90 foot diamond. Coke also suggested having the pitcher make several throws from behind the mound before getting on the rubber. This goes right along with point above about infielders warming up on the grass. They make their longer throws first so when they are throwing from the mound, they are prepared for it.

As for pitch counts, Cocco suggests that 12-14 year-old pitchers top out at 60-80 pitches max, while high school pitchers shouldn’t throw more than 90 or so. Too much more than that can lead to overuse and an increased risk of injury.

Cocco: “You need to know your players, some players are good with 60 pitches, while others struggle at 40. Understanding the players limits as well as the point in the season and arm condition is also a key factor. Early in the year, we may limit the player to 40-60 and once the arm is in condition, we expand that to 50-70 and so on. For pitchers and even position players, keeping the legs in shape is also critical, more times than not, the legs give before the arm gets tired. Pitchers throwing 40+ pitches per game need to have strong legs and good cardiovascular conditioning.”

All of us coaches need to learn how to protect our players and assure they are prepared when it comes to game time. They need to be conditioned to throw, as well as be properly warmed up before and during the games. We, as coaches, should keep a very watchful eye on this.

Cocco and I could have continued to talk for hours and I could see we share a passion and love for the game. Putting this kind of information out there on Bleeding Yankee Blue for you folks will only make the game and players better and healthier.

Thank you Coach Cocco for taking the time to speak with me and help us create awareness for youth baseball coaches and athletes. It’s always great to be able to listen to different perspectives but one thing I’ve noticed is most experienced coaches, guys like Cocco and Steve Hayward and others, are roughly on the same page.

As coaches, our priority is assuring the health of our athletes while providing them as much information as possible.

BYB has asked me to continue this series.  SAVING ARMS: A BYB FEATURE was an insanely popular series, and so, we will continue to make both parents and coaches aware.  We hope you read and share this latest piece and be sure to look for the next installment soon.
 

 --Dan Lucia
BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @DManLucia

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CRAIG BIGGIO: GOOD GUYS DO FINISH FIRST

Four players were inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame today.  Randy Johnson, John Smoltz, Pedro Martinez and Craig Biggio.  We here at BYB congratulate all of them, but we're gonna take this space up and chat about just one of those guys.  We're gonna write about Biggio.

Craig was a member of the much vaunted Killer B’s in the 1990s, and now Craig Biggio can also say that he’s a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Astros’ second baseman was elected to the Hall with 82.7 percent of the vote. This was Biggio’s third time on the ballot—last year he was just two votes shy of reaching Cooperstown.

After coming off a sour Hall of Fame vote last year in which no player got elected thanks to the legacy of the steroid era, it’s gratifying as a fan to see a player like Biggio get a plaque in the Hall. It’s no mistake that he is the only position player that was voted in this year. As you know, the other three were pitchers.

Biggio has all the numbers to justify his election to baseball’s highest honor. In his 20 years in Houston, he amassed 3,060 hits, 668 doubles, 414 stolen bases and a .281 average in 2,850 games. He was also the first player ever to record more than 600 doubles, 250 homers, 3,000 hits and 400 stolen bases. Oh yeah, he also had seven All-Star appearances as well.

But what stands out about Biggio as a player was not his stats, it was his heart. Biggio was a scrappy player and a hustler. He was someone you wanted to emulate on and off the field.  That leads into a statement made exclusively for us to broadcast here at BYB to Biggio.

It comes from Biggio's college friend and former student manager at Seton Hall University, Mike Cocco. Coke says of Biggio:

"Biggio showed baseball what loyalty and determination is all about. He hustled on and off the field from the day he stepped onto the field of Seton Hall University until the day he retired from the Houston Astros. Class act and a great role model for all current and future players."

A great quote for a great guy, by a great guy, Mike Cocco.  As much as Biggio was dedicated to the game though, he also gave to his community. Biggio was frequently recognized by the league for his charity work and was named one The Sporting News’ Good Guys in 2004.

So congratulations to Craig and his family for being honored this year. It’s nice to see one of the good guys be recognized for his hard work.

--Alexis Garcia, BYB's "Eye on MLB" Columnist
Twitter:  @heylexyg





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A VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE

(In Photo: Armando Benitez)

Let me start by stating I intend to say less than favorable things about the current Commissioner of Major League Baseball, many in the BBWAA and Hall of Fame voting in general in this piece.  I also want to congratulate Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas on becoming the latest group of players to be headed for Cooperstown. 

These three men are all deserving of a place in the Hall. The way they played the game, the numbers they put up and the manner in which they conducted themselves on and off the diamond make their inductions a no-brainer in my opinion.

I am writing about baseball, but I am not a baseball writer. It is not my profession. I receive no paycheck from a major publication or report to an editor. I understand how difficult it must be to cover the game. I get how challenging it is to break in and become a Buster Olney or Peter Gammons. I am in no way saying that anyone could do what these men and women do. What I am saying is that I absolutely feel that many of these “writers” have officially lost their minds and sense of who they really are with respect to the game and the men who play it. 

I remember the great Robert Duvall playing Sports writer Max Mercy in “The Natural”. And each year when the Hall of Fame vote is announced I think of the line he utters to Redford’s Roy Hobbs, “I am here to protect this game.” With all due respect to Max and the Baseball writers of today, GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE! Don’t spew that holier than thou nonsense at us. You write about the game. That is the beginning and end of your job description. The players play. The fans watch and cheer. And the writers write. That is the dynamic. Don’t make yourself out to be more than you are. You build up and tear down the heroes. You get the temperature of the clubhouse and add fuel to the fires of rivalries. When there is scandal or wrong doing you report it. You are not Judge, Jury and Executioner, ladies and gents. That is NOT your job. 

Giving the writers a Hall of Fame vote has never sat well with me. Why should they hold the keys to immortality? Why should they decide what makes a player one for the ages? I’ll be honest; I’m a bit of a bias jock at heart. I firmly feel that many of those who write about the men who play the game don’t like them. They have a deep seeded resentment towards the guys on the field. I may be wrong, but that’s how I feel. I think they take the one thing they have over the players and use it to get back at them. 

Seriously can ANYONE explain to me how Greg Maddux doesn’t receive 100% of the vote for the Hall? It is truly insane to say; “I don’t see Maddux as an All-time great.” Yet 16 of these so-called baseball writers didn’t vote for him. Yeah, you’re protecting the game all right. Maybe you should look into a new career as an E! News reporter. You can spew gossip and innuendo and think you’re a celebrity because you talk about them.

There are writers that voted for Armando Benitez this year…that’s a joke. Armando was a good player, but unless you’re related to him you don’t give him a Hall of Fame vote. Especially considering Biggio and Mattingly are still out there. Now, I don’t think Donnie is a Hall of Famer. He is a borderline candidate…but WAY more deserving of a vote then the great Benitez!! That is inexcusable and that “writer” should have his or her vote taken away. Why not just vote for Anthony Weiner or Kelly Clarkson?

Another thing that has me livid with this arrogant process is the steroid dilemma and reign of “Bud The Disgraceful”. Look, I think that if you took PEDs than you should be penalized no question. If you take them again you should be out of the game immediately…but if they don’t have definitive proof linking you to HGH, Andro and so on, then play ball. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa are now like Voldemort to MLB and Selig. They act as if they never existed and dare not speak their names.

I’m sorry, Bud, they do exist. They did a lot to make the game money and YOU let anything they might have done happen. YOU needed to bring the game back to popularity after the 1994 season and “Chicks dig the long ball” right? Bud wants to leave office as the man who cleaned up baseball…but Bud dirtied it up! And the real crime is that he and the baseball writers will hold the players Selig used to bring the game back from the brink out of the Hall. That is a FACT! Crazy how a guy nicknamed “Bud” is no friend to the game.

Look at the Alex Rodriguez case. Do actually think if ARod was “Big PAP-ULAR”, selling apparel and well liked that Bud would be going after him with such venom? NO HOW, NO WAY, folks. This whole thing is such a sham. And the truth is it all cheapens the honor that it is to named to the Hall of Fame. Writers going on rumor or suspicion will not vote for a player they believe used PEDs. That is a very slippery slope gang. 

Between self-important baseball writers playing God with their undeserved vote, to a Commissioner who smugly stood watch and profited over the rampant juicing in the sport, the shine on the Hall of Fame plaques has dulled. I simply don’t care what they think. I will not put any weight into the decisions of these writers and those in the Selig Regime. There are crooks and criminals in every clubhouse in baseball…but there are more on the outside looking in. The game is worse off because of who is minding the store.

 I don’t want to paint all writers with the same brush. I think a guy like Jack Curry is a great example a writer who reports on the game and knows his place within the bigger picture. I just wish there were more of him. 

I love baseball. I always have and always will. I liken it to listening to a great record. I see the poetry in it. It’s just one of the greatest things around. It’s our game. It belongs to the players and the fans…all the other stuff? Well, the suits and writers can have that. I don’t need to have them deem a player worthy to make one a Hall of Famer in my book.

--Mike O'Hara, MLB Fan Cave Host, Season 1
   Twitter: @mikeyoh21
"Paulie was always my favorite player."



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3 GUYS THAT DESERVE THE HALL OF FAME NOD

Today was a better day than expected in the Hall of Fame voting.  I am thrilled with the news that Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas are being elected into the Hall of Fame.  3 guys that deserve it and no complaints from me.  If I was a voter, I would have voted for the same group, and would have liked to have seen Craig Biggio in place of Glavine this year. No matter, Biggio will most likely go in next year.  Still, for the first time in a long while, I feel like the right guys were voted in.  The full list is HERE.

There really isn't much more to report.  It's a good day in baseball and I'm happy for those guys.  As my buddy said to me today, "Maddux and Glavine were a great 1,2 punch and deserved to go in together."  I can appreciate that.

Add to it the fact that Bobby Cox has been elected in as well (with Torre and LaRussa), and Frank Thomas growing up in Atlanta... good for the state of Georgia, my goodness.  As Thomas said today on MLB Network, the whole city of Atlanta will be in Cooperstown that weekend.  That's pretty cool.

Anyway, congrats to the winners.  Hey Biggs... next year, for sure pal.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fasted growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

CRAIG BIGGIO BELONGS IN THE HALL OF FAME

Yeah this is a Yankee site, but I'm a baseball fan and that comes first.  I believe Pete Rose was one of the greatest ball players who ever played in my lifetime and I appreciated Cal Ripken Jr.

I was obsessed with Rickey Henderson as a kid to the point where I made my parents buy me white cleats and I believe that Craig Biggio played the game with class and passion and integrity.

I took a page from Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk who put together a short write-up about Craig Biggio yesterday and included a video the will "sway" you.  As Craig wrote: "He may not have done one thing better than anyone else, but he did EVERYTHING well." That's very true.

Now keep in mind, this video is a spoof and probably goes on alittle too long, but it's funny and half true when it comes to his baseball ability. The stats are true. His career is great and Biggio should be considered...

Check this out:


Any questions?

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fasted growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY I'M ASHAMED TO BE A BASEBALL FAN TODAY

Well, the BBWAA has done it. They have made their point. These dudes have created such a mess of the Hall of Fame voting that I’m on board with revamping the entire process. What am I talking about? Read on...

For just the eighth time, the baseball writers have failed to give enough votes to anyone on the ballot thus the only three inductees this year come from the Veterans Committee. They are Deacon White, umpire Hank O’Day, and former Yankee owner Jacob Ruppert, read HERE.

That’s all well and good, but here’s my problem. First year ballottees (is that even a word?) and cheaters guilty in the court of public opinion, Barry Bonds & Roger Clemens, received 36% & 37% of the vote respectively. The leading candidate this year was Craig Biggio with 68%, but if I recall. weren’t he and Jeff Bagwell (60%) accused together? (Read HERE.)  Despite all of the posturing, I really thought Biggio & Bagwell were going to make it, as well as Jack Morris, who was in his last year of eligibility.

I was only a kid when Morris was in his prime, but I'll always remember him beating the Yanks. He was never overpowering but dominant when he needed to be.

Now, if I had a vote, without question Clemens & Bonds WOULD have been on my ballot. You read that right. Did they cheat? Technically no. Did they use PEDs? Probably. None of this stuff was illegal at the time. Up until the 1970’s, Amphetamines were a rampant problem and all those guys got in.

The Hall of Fame is supposed to honor the best of their time and leaded or unleaded Clemens and Bonds were the best of their time. Sammy Sosa (12%) & Rafael Palmeiro (9%) were not and the voting reflects that.

Now, here’s the thing, each year the writers are limited to just 10 inductees. If they lift their self-imposed ban on the "Steroid" guys, Clemens and Bonds are in. Let's say they come around and vote Bagwell & Biggio in... unlikely, but that’s 4.  Here are next year’s first ballot nominees who SHOULD get in: Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Frank Thomas, and Mike Mussina. Now we’re up to 8.  I’ve been watching Tom Verducci, Bob Costas, Peter Gammons and all the other writers on MLB Network recently and they’ve all said they "only really vote for 6 guys every year."  So, if that’s true, how are 6 guys going to get 75% of the vote, let alone all 8? You following me?  These guys have really made a circus of this.  And let me state one more nutty point to this... This tweet from CBS Sports.com's Jon Heyman really seems truly ridiculous to me. This came after the results were revealed:

Jon, no offense, you're not a superhero and you're not that important.  We don't need you protecting us fans. We have brains in our heads and we have our own opinions.  All you guys have done is created a boys club and a true mess of this stuff. That's my opinion of course... clearly you have yours... you Tweeted it.

But back to my analysis... Other losers of this precarious position the writers have put us in are:

• Bernie Williams, who failed to get the minimum 5% to remain on the ballot
• Dale Murphy who has always been borderline HOF material, but has reached the end of his 15 years of eligibility 
• Curt Schilling, who as much as it pains me to say, probably deserves to be in for being so good in so many clutch situations. He’ll probably get lost in the middle of future ballots.

The whole thing is nuts and us fans are just as confused as we were before.  Good luck next year boys because this year you really screwed the pooch!

 

--Lem Allen, BYB Contributor

Email me at: bybcurmudgeon@gmail.com

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HALL OF FAME BLAH: NO ONE ELECTED IN

The frame grab above is from the film History of the World Part I.  It's a Mel Brooks flick that was way ahead of it's time in the world of comedy.  But I sit here today starring at the "Nothing" sign in the guy's cart and I think about the writers, the voting and the Baseball Hall of Fame and how this is the first time since 1996 that no player was voted in.  Shocking? Not really. If you really think about it, the PEDs situation has really mucked things up.  It's clear these writers are struggling with how to vote for these guys. It's become an issue.  Don't believe me? You should have seen Bob Costas and the gang on the MLB Network today.  Alot of head scratching.  Very interesting.

(In Photo: Jacob Ruppert)
Now, that being said, the Hall of Fame will induct 3 new members in this summer, Umpire Hank O'Day, catch Deacon White and owner Jacob Ruppert.  As the New York Times (HERE) puts it, "All three died in the 1930s and were voted in by the veterans committee in December. As a result, baseball will hold its annual Hall of Fame ceremony next July in an awkward context — without a single living honoree on stage."

Craig Biggio received 388 votes today and he was on top, but it wasn't enough. When it came to guys like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, Bonds was on 36.2% of the ballots and Clemens has 37.6%.

It's a weird day.  I always get psyched watching the guys who we watched as kids get voted in.  I, of course have been preaching about how much I'd love to see Pete Rose get inducted. 

It's time. He's paid his dues, he's taken his lumps and when he played the game, he played harder than anyone I ever saw.  Read ENOUGH'S ENOUGH. TIME FOR PETE ROSE TO GO TO COOPERSTOWN for my opinion on that.

(In Photo: Lou Brock 1985)
Last year I loved seeing Barry Larkin standing up there and years ago as a kid, I was lucky enough to be at the Hall of Fame when Lou Brock was inducted. I honestly thought Craig Biggio would have been voted in.  He wasn't. I was surprised. Again... seeing these players get voted in is always a thrill.  But not today.  Today, the Hall of Fame elected Nothing, no one and it's an odd day.

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WHY HE'S STILL JOHNNY BRAVO

Being a Yankee fan, I was always envious of any team that had Johnny Damon. Before the Red Sox had him, I thought for sure the Yankees were going to snag him. I think it was around the time when he was with the Oakland Athletics. I always loved the way Damon worked, his speed and his grit in the field. It was clear to me he wanted a win more than anyone out there.

When he came to the Yankees, it was beautiful the way it unfolded, taking him away from the evil Red Sox, and the New York sports media rubbed it in the Boston fans faces nicely with terrific headlines, but the reality was, it was quite a few years later and who really knew if Damon would contribute successfully in pinstripes. Well, he did, and I loved him as a New York Yankee and for him to get a championship with us in 2009, it was icing on the cake.

So,2 nights ago when Johnny Damon slid into second base, he stole his 400^th base. 400 isn’t easy. It proves 2 things, he’s old as dirt and has been around for a long time (that’s a bad joke), and he’s still got the speed, a valuable tool in baseball. Stolen bases have always been my thing. I remember growing up in awe of Rickey Henderson and Tim Raines as they dominated back in the 80’s and all I wanted to do in Little League was break the stolen base record and hold up second base like Rickey did. Little did I know that Little League did not compile stolen base stats at the age of 9 back then. It was however fun to compile them in my head. The point is, speed fascinated me because if players like Rickey, or Brett Gardner or Johnny Damon are able to get on base, eventually they could get around to score. I knew that because I did and I learned from the best.

Damon is now on the list of players that have compiled 400 stolen bases and 200 home runs in 1 career. Let's be honest, I didn't know they had such a list but I like that they do. Damon currently has 229 home runs. The list includes players like Joe Morgan, Craig Biggio, Rickey Henderson, Roberto Alomar, Marquis Grissom, Paul Moliter, Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonds. Pretty nice company.

This post is to congratulate a great player and a great Yankee. Congrats Johnny Bravo. Keep going pal, keep going.

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