A writer friend once told me that one of the best things he ever did was play baseball in his Thirties. The experience gave him a true idea of how difficult the game is to play well. I played ball in high school but never competitively after that. And the truth is, I’ve become less physically active in my Thirties, which is to say I’m far from being in-shape. Still, I’ve been hanging around the Uptown Sports Complex near me in the west Bronx for a story I’m working on, and today I had my second hitting lesson in the past couple of weeks. Hitting off a tee, soft toss, live bp, ground balls.
It was humbling. My mind remembers the mechanics: pivot and explode with the hips, keep your weight back, hands back and then swing down and through the ball, it’s just that my body can’t keep up. I lunged, shifting my weight to my front leg. In no time, I was exhausted, but the instructor kept up the pace. Finally, he had mercy on me. And I was happy, drenched in sweat.
It’s not that I expected to do much better. Hitting is too difficult to pick back up that quickly. But it was a good exercise. It reminded me what a science it is, and how tough it is to do well. My mind was thinking about my weight and my shoulder dropped; I concentrated on my hands and didn’t thrust my hips. Oy. Think I’ll hit the gym, do some running, and work on the legs before I go back and hit again.
Winning games isn’t easy, as the Yanks have shown us in Chicago. But they won today, 8-5 and something unusual happened. In the top of the ninth, Melky Cabrera booked around the bases and slid into third with a triple, making him the first Yankee to hit for a cycle since Tony Fernandez in 1995. He slid, yelled and raised his fist back at the Yankee dugout, and later scored. It capped-off a terrific day for Cabrera who helped bail-out CC Sabathia (“CC was so-so,” said Michael Kay on the YES broadcast) and the Bombers.
No sweep for the White Sox. Yanks are still a half-game ahead of the Red Sox who won again today. The Bombers have tomorrow off and then get to face Doc Halladay on Tuesday night.
Then, the fun starts back in the boogie down come Thursday: Joba, AJ, CC and Andy will go against the Red Sox. There will be no lack of drama.
[0] "I lunged, shiting my weight to my front leg."
I hope you had a lot of toilet paper, Alex! That's quite a bit of shit!
Maybe that's why your instructor ultimately had mercy on you...
: )
Unfortunately, I have to use one comment to say that first one [1] should be left as the only one ...
The few times that I still swing a bat, what I notice that has changed more than anything else is my vision.
Great post! As has been said many times, it's the single most difficult thing to do in sports..
Loved that Melky cycle, and a solid win for the team. Doc Halladay got nothing, Nothing! we'll go into the BoSox series up by 2.5 games, easy.
May I suggest you try tennis. Much more suitable for aging athletes and much more aerobically beneficial. Too much standing around in baseball. It is a game for an entire life which includes hitting balls, strategy, and fitness. You don't need a room full of people to play, either.
@Alex: Most MSBL guys come back after a decade or more away from school hardball, and the first season is always bumpy. But then it returns. Whether you just keep hitting the cages for fun or consider joining a team, have no fear.
@Mick: Does it have to be one sport or the other? I'm surprised to hear the "too much standing around" comment from anyone who likes the game enough to visit this site!