Game Thread: 5/30/19 Sandy Beede

[SF11704]

Think I'll add my .02$ here. being somewhat on the other side of 70 I've seen some rather really exceptional hitters through the years. Some of my favorites are/were Tony Gwynn. Tony Olivia, George Brett and Roberto Clemente. I did see Ted Williams play in one game but that doesn't count. It seemed that these guys could hit almost any pitch thrown anywhere. Even Pablo seems to show some affinity for that. I can remember an interview they had with Tony Olivia where they asked him what was the most important things about hitting .. being a kid I was fascinated ... according to him ... he thought that knowing your own 'plate coverage' was the most important part of hitting. If you can't reach it ... you can't hit it. He said that as a player you have to be aware of your 'plate coverage'. You also have to be aware of what 'zones' you hit well and the ones you don't. Then he said that you had to have plate discipline. It's was the other side of plate coverage'. You can't be successful swinging at pitches you just can't reach or at pitches within zones you have trouble with. I don't think he believed in a 'philosophy' of hitting. I always got the impression that really good hitters were concerned with mechanics. They always made it sound so easy. IMHO ... the most important aspect of hitting is natural talent. If you have a wealth of talent the mechanics just seem to .... work

 

[Stokes1931]

Think I'll add my .02$ here. being somewhat on the other side of 70 I've seen some rather really exceptional hitters through the years. Some of my favorites are/were Tony Gwynn. Tony Olivia, George Brett and Roberto Clemente. I did see Ted Williams play in one game but that doesn't count. It seemed that these guys could hit almost any pitch thrown anywhere. Even Pablo seems to show some affinity for that. I can remember an interview they had with Tony Olivia where they asked him what was the most important things about hitting .. being a kid I was fascinated ... according to him ... he thought that knowing your own 'plate coverage' was the most important part of hitting. If you can't reach it ... you can't hit it. He said that as a player you have to be aware of your 'plate coverage'. You also have to be aware of what 'zones' you hit well and the ones you don't. Then he said that you had to have plate discipline. It's was the other side of plate coverage'. You can't be successful swinging at pitches you just can't reach or at pitches within zones you have trouble with. I don't think he believed in a 'philosophy' of hitting. I always got the impression that really good hitters were concerned with mechanics. They always made it sound so easy. IMHO ... the most important aspect of hitting is natural talent. If you have a wealth of talent the mechanics just seem to .... work

This is why HOF athletes are often terrible coaches. They are so naturally gifted that they see the game differently than others. But what of the less than naturally gifted?

How did Teddy Ballgame hit? Well, he just hit, you know?

It is an incredible thing to pass on that sort of knowledge to players who can pick it up and make it their own.

I still think there is something systemic going on with the Giants, as their hitting has fallen off a cliff since July 2016. And they have not had many good hitters since Bonds left. Posey is a mere shell of his old self, and it may be a whole season of recovering the full use of his body after the surgery last year. For a team of this payroll to be collectively not even hitting .220 is atrocious.

BTW, growing up in Minneapolis, I loved watching the Twins play in the mid to late 60's. Oliva, Killebrew, Carew, Versalles, Mincher, Jimmy Hall, they were some fun teams.

 

[Stokes1931]

 

[Stokes1931]

 

[Stokes1931]

 

[SFGRTB]

Nice to see some good starting pitching for once

 

[jeep99tj]

Nice to see some good starting pitching for once

And a clutch hit

 

[tzill]

Best Tweet Ever?

 

[LHG]

Best Tweet Ever?

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