Baseball and Guns

May and June are my busiest times of the year so there isn’t much time to devote to posting on here. But since I am in my car a great deal, and that is where I have found I have done my best thinking, I have lots to write.

Oh, where to begin?

My thoughts about the Orlando shooting will be written at the bottom of this post. I know that you have heard, seen and read everything about it (except, most likely, all of the facts) so since I know that everyone’s attention span is very short people will be out of here before that part comes up in this post.

Let’s talk about baseball, ok? It’s been a while since I’ve babbled about that.

Here is a cliché to recall…”Change is inevitable.” 

Baseball has changed throughout the years and continues to evolve today. Here are some of the changes that have taken place in baseball.

It used to take 8 balls for a base on balls.
Players played without gloves.
Catchers caught without masks.
An extra base taken on a single was considered a stolen base.
The pitching mound used to be higher.
Baseball was always outside.
Baseball was always at night because there were no lights.
Fans used to sit in foul territory.
There was just one league.
There were three leagues.
There were no minor leagues.
Blacks weren’t allowed to play in the Major Leagues.
You were allowed to spit on the ball before you threw it.
There was no DH.

Many of these changes have been for the better of baseball except, of course, for the DH, a horrible decision that only allowed physically failing players, or players who couldn’t perform a few of the basic baseball tasks such as field and throw, a chance to play baseball.

In the recent decades there have been other changes to baseball, some of which aren’t rule related, that are having major effects on the game.

Instant video replay.
The Buster Posey Rule, where catchers can no longer block the plate with their bodies.
The Chase Mutley Rule, where runners cannot jump onto defenders legs and break them while trying to break up a double play.

Side bar…I am a Met fan and Utley should have been arrested for that play. 

Pitch counts.
Bizarre statistical compilations.
Timed meetings on the mound.
Steroids.

Here are a couple of thoughts about recent changes.

The pitch count issue for pitchers is perhaps one of the biggest changes and challenges in the game of baseball right now. 

This whole concept began, in earnest, in 1981 when a 40-year old Nolan Ryan returned from a stint on the DL and was limited to 100 pitches per game. 

Think about that for a moment. Now we have 23 year old pitchers, with healthy arms, being pulled after that amount of pitches.

I know I have mentioned that in here before so that was just a refresher note.

I read an article recently which featured 3 or 4 guys who were pitchers in their lives who believe that a lack of pitch counts when they were coming up ruined their careers. Their contention was that these pitch counts were, as a result, totally necessary. In that same article a college coach was fired for having one of his starting pitchers throw 150 pitches in a very important playoff game.

One of a few things has to happen here.

There should be a real solid study about how kids, and older players, work to train their arms for the position of pitcher. 

There was a time when kids were growing up and pitching when they were told never to throw anything except a fastball and learn how to throw it to spots and to vary the speed of the pitch, only. This was to be done without twisting or snapping the wrist when they threw the ball. No curveballs, forkballs, sliders, screwballs, knuckleballs, knuckle curves, etc. The second pitch taught, when a person’s arm had become strong enough, was a change of pace (changeup) and then a curve ball. 

Is this happening today? Are kids being taught this or are they just more concerned about how many pitches they throw? Someone let me know…I don’t coach little league any longer but I do know from visiting the little league world series last year that there is a pitch counter on the scoreboard at the Williamsport, PA complex. 

Shouldn’t we find out how to strengthen a person’s arm so that they can throw more pitches?

I am certain it can be done. Personally, I tore the labrums in both of my shoulders. Ironically, I did it while lifting weights on a machine which torqued my shoulders the wrong way. I was told that I either needed surgery, which required a year’s worth of recovery time or, since I wasn’t an athlete, I could just rehab it on my own. The labrum doesn’t have a blood supply so it will never heal but the areas around it can be strengthened. 

I chose the latter option after witnessing, the very next day, a person who just had that same surgical procedure and was in horrific pain.

This was about 10 years ago now when I was 44-45. I am now lifting…and I do not exaggerate when I say this, 5 times as much ON THAT VERY SAME MACHINE that caused the initial injury and, yes, I am 54.

I did this on my own without any “expert” advice. 

So, just from my own personal experience, and anecdotal evidence, I am rather certain that pitchers arms can be strengthened for extended use and have even longer careers, if they train their arms the proper way. Now, I never could throw baseball any faster than 42 miles per hour and the elbow is a bigger problem with pitchers than the shoulder. So I don't know how the different exercises necessary to strengthen the area around the elbow would work. But it couldn’t hurt to explore this much more fully, speaking from the outside looking in to the dugout, of course.

I began to think even more about this. Suppose that these young baseball players are correct and that the SOLE reason arms and careers are getting destroyed is because they are allowed to throw too many pitches. Did Major League Baseball discover this as some sort of fact? Is there growing evidence to suggest that the decisions made by coaches have led to careers being ruined?

Has there been a conspiracy, like the one with the NFL and concussions, in MLB? Is there a possibility that we are going to find out that MLB in fact KNEW or knows this and has covered this up to the public and determined that pitch counts should be used at all levels of baseball? 

Is MLB potential liable for some massive lawsuits in the future?

I would think that the true and hard count would be a bit more than 100, of course. We see pitchers climb over that mark, although not very far, in box scores every day. What could it be? 125, 135, 150? Who knows? But its starting to get very suspicious. 

Look, these guys will never get to throw that many pitches or throw 200 innings on a regular basis because they hardly throw enough at the lower levels now. That only makes sense. You can’t take a guy who is a half-miler for all of his younger days and make him a marathoner overnight. But the strength in their bodies is greater when they of college age, when it comes to arm anyway, so I believe the tapering process has to happen much more quickly.

If something doesn’t change with that, there is going to be a need for a new rule change and that is an expansion of the 25-man roster. The bullpens are overworked too. Pitchers are throwing less in the minor leagues and it seems that more of them are relievers than they are starters. These guys, who have even less stress on their arms, because of the lack of work, are being asked to work more. Aren’t their arms getting blown out too?

There probably is a need for three more, if not five, roster spots on an MLB roster. Pitchers are routinely getting yanked after 6 innings and there are generally only 6 – 7 relievers on a squad. That means they have to pitch a great deal more and what if some of them just have bad days when they go out there? This happens a lot too, of course, and then other guys have to come in to pitch.

Ok, so that was a much longer rant about pitch counts than I thought there would be. So I’ll save more of my brilliance about baseball for another post here soon.

I suppose it’s obligatory to mention the terrorist attack in Orlando in some way. Since I did just spend 24 of my last 96 hours in the car listening to the radio I have heard pretty much every opinion about it. Not as many facts, but plenty of opinions.

I’ll just make this part very simple.

Once upon a time there were no guns. Then, one day, someone invented a gun.

So, those who believe that regulating guns, banning guns, or confiscating guns is going to work, are just wrong. The cliché, “when there is a will, there is a way,” is apropos here because someone else will just make new guns and won’t need a gun manufacturer to do it.

See how simple that is? 

Once upon a time when people were mentally ill and, say, had suicidal or homicidal tendencies, we had them committed in a mental institution…a State Hospital. 

We closed WAY too many of them. 

Let’s open up more of them and commit more people. A much tougher choice, of course, but people knew that the scumbag who shot those people in the South Carolina choice was one of those who should have been committed.

When the second amendment was written the US Military didn't have tanks, planes, assault rifles, bazookas, and the like. They had single-shot rifles and pistols.
The second amendment was written so that citizens could protect themselves...from a tyrannical government.
Now the US Military has all of the above...and nuclear weapons.
I'm not saying every citizen should be allowed to carry nuclear weapons, but we need more of a fighting chance if that day ever comes when there is another revolution or civil war in this country to protect our families.
Clearly I have a stand on this issue. Surely that will upset or offend some people. I just tell it as I see it.

That’s all for now.

Done.