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Thursday, February 14, 2013
Friday, February 8, 2013
SLIDING = WINNING BASEBALL
Base Running 2: How to slide head first, pop up and hook slides
Sliding is how we get into a base as quickly as possible while maintaining contact with the bag (i.e. not over running it and risk getting tagged). Sliding can be used to stop or redirect our momentum, break up a double play on the bases, or make a tag play more difficult by using a hook slide.
There are three types of slides in baseball: Feet first (or pop up), head first, or hook slide.Feet first or Pop up slide
How to pop up slide. Images by Frank Lauri
This is the most useful of the slides, and the safest.
When in doubt, go feet first.
This method of sliding can be used in any situation.
This is also known as the pop up slide because if you do it correctly you will be able to use your momentum when you hit the bag to pop up quickly and continue running if needed.
How to Pop Up Slide
- One of your legs is going to be extended and will make contact with the bag. It doesn’t matter which one you choose.
- Your ankle of your other leg will be placed under your straight legs hamstring. This will look similar to the number “4”.
- You will keep both your hands up. This is so when you make contact with the ground you will not slam your wrists in the ground and break a wrist.
- You will make contact with the ground with your bent knee and the upper part of the back of your straight leg.
Head first slide
Images by Frank Lauri
The head first slide may get you into the base a little quicker than going feet first,
but there is a higher risk of injury. Chris Dickerson slides into 2nd base.
Benefits. Head first is thought of as the quickest way of sliding into a base.
This is because you keep your momentum going forward opposed to having to sit back on your legs or back side.
It can also be beneficial because sometimes you can manipulate the slide a little by shifting your hands to try to avoid a tag.
Downsides. Head first should not be used when sliding into home plate at any time (the catcher with all his gear on can do some damage to your fingers and your shoulders if you come in head first).
Also, sliding head first when trying to break up a double play is illegal, and you and the hitter will be called out.
Sliding head first can be dangerous.
Some guys have broken fingers by hitting the base the wrong way, or if an infielder jumps and lands on them.
Also, if a infielder jumps and comes down on your arms or shoulders you can really hurt your shoulders.
Some teams are really starting to advise their players to stop sliding head first and to get used to sliding feet first.
How to slide head first, and tips to prevent injury
- As you are running start your lean forward.
- Extend your body forward and try to keep your forearms and hands out in front of you.
- Cock your wrist back so when your hands make contact with the bag, the heels of your palm will hit it and not your fingers. This will help to prevent finger injuries.
Hook slide
What is a hook slide?
The hook is a spin off of the regular feet first slide. The only difference is that instead of making contact with your foot, you will slide feet first but to one side or the other and grab the base with one of your hands.This is very useful especially on a play at home plate. It gives the defender making the tag less body to touch. Also, when done correctly you can move your hand so you can avoid the glove that is trying to tag you.
When hook sliding into home you can hit the back corner of the plate with a real quick hand movement that can be difficult to tag.
You can use this at other bases as well, especially if a throw is taking a defender to one side of the bag. In this instance you can slide to the other side of the bag and grab with your hand.
How to Hook Slide
The mechanics are the same as the feet first slide, except you’ll be sliding to one side or the other and reach back with your hand to grab the bag.You can also use the hook slide when trying to break up a double play at second base.
The rule in professional baseball, is you can make contact with an infielder as long as you can touch the bag with any part of your body.
Author: Doug Bernier
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Friday, February 1, 2013
COLLEGE BASEBALL: 'PLAY BALL'!
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DURHAM, N.C—North Carolina is No. 1 in Baseball America's preseason Top 25 rankings for the first time in program history. The Tar Heels, who have made five trips to the College World Series in the last seven years, return three weekend starters who posted sub-2.00 ERAs last year, headlining one of the nation's deepest pitching staffs.
Southeastern Conference teams occupy three of the next four spots, and five of the top 10. Eight SEC teams appear in the Top 25, leading all conferences. No. 2 Vanderbilt and No. 3 Arkansas each earn their highest preseason rankings ever, as do No. 4 Louisville, No. 6 Oregon State and No. 8 North Carolina State. Fifth-ranked Mississippi State enters the season with its highest ranking since it topped the 1989 preseason Top 25.
New Mexico, which checks in at No. 21, earns a preseason ranking for the first time in program history. The Lobos last appeared in the BA Top 25 on March 30, 2009.
Defending national champion Arizona enters the season ranked 24th after losing a slew of key players, while runner-up South Carolina is ranked seventh.
The Pacific-12 Conference landed the second-most teams in the rankings with five, followed by the Atlantic Coast Conference (four). The only other conferences to produce multiple ranked teams were the Big 12 and Conference USA, which each placed two teams in the rankings.
The staff of Baseball America determines the Top 25 rankings. Last year's records do not include ties.
| Rk. | Team | 2012 Record |
Final 2012 Ranking |
| 1. | North Carolina | 46-16 | 17 |
| 2. | Vanderbilt | 35-28 | NR |
| 3. | Arkansas | 46-22 | 6 |
| 4. | Louisville | 41-22 | NR |
| 5. | Mississippi State | 40-24 | 22 |
| 6. | Oregon State | 40-20 | 24 |
| 7. | South Carolina | 49-20 | 2 |
| 8. | North Carolina State | 43-20 | 12 |
| 9. | Stanford | 41-18 | 13 |
| 10. | Louisiana State | 47-18 | 9 |
| 11. | Kentucky | 45-18 | 20 |
| 12. | UCLA | 48-16 | 5 |
| 13. | Mississippi | 37-26 | NR |
| 14. | Texas Christian | 40-22 | 16 |
| 15. | Oregon | 46-19 | 11 |
| 16. | Georgia Tech | 38-26 | NR |
| 17. | Florida | 47-20 | 3 |
| 18. | Rice | 41-19 | 18 |
| 19. | Oklahoma | 42-25 | 14 |
| 20. | Florida State | 50-17 | 4 |
| 21. | New Mexico | 37-24 | NR |
| 22. | Cal State Fullerton | 36-21 | 21 |
| 23. | Southern Mississippi | 32-24 | NR |
| 24. | Arizona | 48-17 | 1 |
| 25. | San Diego | 40-17 | NR |
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