Jack 9 Baseball Magazine by Jack 9 Baseball Magazine

If you would like up to the minute News on Everything going on, in and around Baseball in Southern California, and around the nation, then visit...

Visit Jack9baseballmagazine.com

! y l i a D

LISTEN TO OUR WEEKLY PODCAST

CLICK HERE

: R E ero

OVir Guerr C E im

Her Vlad T N m

Oall of Fa H

hopefulness. The outlet for many of the idealists in Dominic Smith’s neighborhood became the well documented issues that have plagued South Central LA for decades. Gang colors and evening curfews a bi-product of communities devoid of productive distraction hopefulness. The outlet for many of the idealists in Dominic Smith’s neighborhood became the well documented issues that have plagued South Central LA for decades. Gang colors and evening curfews a bi-product of communities devoid of productive distraction hopefulness. The outlet for many of the idealists in Dominic Smith’s neighborhood became the well documented issues that have plagued South Central LA for decades. Gang colors and evening curfews a bi-product of communities devoid of productive distraction hopefulness. The outlet for many of the idealists in Dominic Smith’s neighborhood became Caption Copy Here. Caption Copy Here. the well documented issues that have plagued Caption Copy Here. Caption Copy Here. South Central LA for decades. Gang colors and evening curfews a bi-product of communities the well documented issues that have plagued devoid of productive distraction South Central LA for decades. Gang colors and hopefulness. The outlet for many of the ideal- evening curfews a bi-product of communities ists in Dominic Smith’s neighborhood became devoid of productive distraction the well documented issues that have plagued hopefulness. The outlet for many of the idealSouth Central LA for decades. Gang colors and ists in Dominic Smith’s neighborhood became evening curfews a bi-product of communities the well documented issues that have plagued devoid of productive distraction South Central LA for decades. Gang colors and hopefulness. The outlet for many of the ideal- evening curfews a bi-product of communities ists in Dominic Smith’s neighborhood became devoid of productive distraction the well documented issues that have plagued hopefulness. The outlet for many of the idealSouth Central LA for decades. Gang colors and ists in Dominic Smith’s neighborhood became evening curfews a bi-product of communities the well documented issues that have plagued Jack9BaseballMagazine.com is published Monthly in Los Angeles, CA. No Portions of this magazine can be reprodevoid of productive distraction South Central LA for decades. Gang colors and duced without permission. The intent of this publication is to tell the stories of those who play the game of Baseball. hopefulness. The outlet for many of the ideal- evening curfews a bi-product of communities WeDominic thank All who contribute to photos, writing and story gathering. Sometimes we make mistakes in a hurry to get ists in Smith’s neighborhood became devoid of productive distraction

the publication out and we apologize in advance - so please email us if you see something that needs to be corrected. We value our players, coaches, officials and parents who are involved in the great game of Baseball! www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

CONTENTS 6

A CLASS ABOVEEXPLORING THE 2018 HALL OF FAME CLASS By Josh Citron

GREG MOORE: DEFINING A PHILOSOPHY By John Hunting

THE BASEBALL PITCHER’S DIET As reported from sfgate.com

SPARE PARTS: THE REVIVAL OF THE BULLPEN CAR By Vladimir Tretiak

BOOK REVIEW: I’M KEITH HERNANDEZ Review by Kirkus.com

DR. BRANDON MARTIN A PROFILE ON HOME FIELD FOR CHAMPIONS FIRST CEO By Josh Citron

WHAT IS BEHIND ALL OF THIS RECRUITING BUSINESS? By Jordon Twohig

MAKING DIAMONDS OUT OF COLE By Josh Citron

TOP 13 OLDEST BALLPARKS By Josh Citron

COME HERE, MEAT! TURN ON THAT TAPE RECORDER! By Jeff Haney

EQUIPMENT REVIEW: HEAVYSWING

From the Publisher... Well, spring is in the air and by now all your favorite teams are well on their way to live up to your expectations for another exciting MLB season. We hope that whatever level of baseball you or someone you know is participating in, you enjoy this great American Pastime called baseball. All of us at Home Field 4 Champions and the Jack 9 baseball magazine wish you a great season. Check back each month for thought provoking articles and columns. Thanks, Eric Citron, Publisher

A CLASS ABOVE EXPLORING THE 2018 HALL OF FAME CLASS

By Josh Citron

many baseball fans, for whom the Hall of Fame was ostensibly built, analyze a career.

The 2018 Hall of Fame class is one of the most diverse groups to ever enter into the idyllic Right, wrong or indifferent; looking beyond shrine in Cooperstown, New York. Especially the hierarchy of analytics, where arguments when considering the unique skill sets that pro- abound, and ample evidence can be provided pelled each man to the sport’s highest peak. by all, there are other components of player’s This years enshrined group ranges from the careers that seem to galvanize them like plaques supremely powerful, to the lovably unorthodox themselves in the minds of fans and writers all the way to the wickedly deceptive. It’s hard alike. These can be large collective moments, to find too many parallels between the feats like a broken record or some sort of exclusive that Vladimir Guerrero achieved on milestone (e.g. 3,000 career hits, 40 the baseball field and those of HR/40 SB season, 3,000 career Trevor Hoffman but both will find strikeouts) or compact, profound themselves speaking out onto loyal moments (e.g. Bill Mazeroski’s World fans planted atop an expanse of Series Walk-off in ’60, Reggie Jackson tufted upstate New York grass this 3-Pitch, 3-HR night in’ 77). There are July. Likewise, the exploits of fellow also the more intimate, personal inductees Larry “Chipper” Jones and attributes that become a means Jim Thome, while both prolific, through which a player is identified L E T H would hardly garner comparisons in and remembered by the masses – the I T C A style. In today’s modern game, best of which become immortalized where analytics abound, there are and held as the gold standard and new ways through which the voting highest form of compliment for any writers, baseball pundits and comaspiring star (e.g. Nolan Ryan’s fastEX CELLENCE mon fan determine if a player has ball, Roberto Clemente’s Arm, Ken had a Hall of Fame career. Stats like Griffey Jr.’s angelic swing). Wins Above Replacement (WAR) and OPS+ have become heavily However it is you quantify a Hall of weighted statistics when evaluating Fame baseball player, the men who players, past and present, and while have come to occupy The Hall all these tools offer insights we did not seem to possess a similar resume have even a decade ago, there is a consisting of those “antiquated,” eyecertain intuitive simplicity in which popping, tangible statistics (in addi-

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

year. Chipper was the offensive anchor on nearly two decades worth of Atlanta Braves teams that won 100games or more six times. Despite this success and winning 11 consecutive NL division titles, those great Atlanta Braves teams only managed to put it all together for one championship run, winning the 1995 World Series in 6 games over the Cleveland Indians Chipper Jones hit .364/.446/.618 in that postseason. Chipper won the National League MVP in 1999, just a year after the fabled Home Run Race between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire of 1998 that captured the attention of millions. Chipper hit a career high 45 home runs, drove in 110 runs and batted .319 in his lone MVP season, while Chipper Jones stares down a pitcher batting right handed. scoring 116 times, drawing 126 walks and stealing 25 bases. No player betion to the new, fancy analytics) and at least a handful of those distinguishing, defining fore him had hit .300, scored 100 runs and drove moments, and characteristics that make them in 100, hit 40 doubles and home runs, drew 100 immortal in the hearts and minds of millions long before they are enshrined in baseball’s most sacred tomb. That is no different for the class of 2018, a quartet of the newcomers to the baseball immortality each of whom displayed a set of unique skills, broke records, defined era’s and changed the course of franchises all in part to becoming a portion of the less than 1% of Major League Baseball players that become immortalized in the hallowed of halls of Cooperstown. Chipper Jones- Third Baseman – Atlanta Braves (97.2% -11th all-time) 1st Ballot From 1994 to 2004, Chipper Jones hit 30 home runs or more 6 times, including 45 during his MVP year in 1999. As the swollen head and shoulders were collecting dingers by the dozen, obliterating records that seemed immortal just a few decades ago, Chipper continued accumulating his ho-hum .300+/30+/100+ seasons- year after

Larry "Chipper" Jones prepares to square up a baseball from the left side of the plate - he hit .304 career from both the left and right side.

• Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

Chipper Jones embraces the Atlanta Braves faithful in 2012.

walks and stole 20 bases. He concluded the season by hitting .347 with 30 home runs and 69 RBI over his last 94 games. He did this on a ‘95 Braves team that easily secured the National League pennant before being swept by the insatiable monster that was the late 90’s Yankee dynasty. The Braves were responsible for kick starting said dynasty by failing to repeat as champions in 1996 as heavy favorites over a young Yankee squad that would go on to win 4 titles in the subsequent 5 years. Chipper Jones had few injury hiccups in his career playing in over 150 games eight times in 19 years as an Atlanta Brave, offering one of those unique players that teammates and fans alike could count on to be in the lineup every game. Nowhere was Chipper Jones’ skill more prevalent than when he was playing the division rival, New York Mets. So prolific was Chipper playing against the Mets he named his first-born son Shea, after the former home of the team in Flushing, Queens – Shea Stadium. It is easy to see why Jones would want a reminder of his time playing against the blue and orange. Chipper collected 265 hits in 245 games against the Mets, hitting a combined .309 with 49 home

runs, 46 doubles and 159 RBIs. An overflowing stat sheet like this means that Chipper Jones played on an MVP-caliber level every game for 19 consecutive years against the Mets, including his actual MVP-year, 1999, where he hit .400 against Mets pitching in 12 games with 7 home runs and a .510 on-base percentage. Few players in the annals of big league lore have ever come close to reaching that sort of dominance over one team. Any description Chipper Jones’ career would be incomplete without discussing its place among the other elite switch hitters of the past. Not only is Chipper Jones one of the most accomplished and offensively gifted third basemen of all time but he also one of the top-3 switch hitters to ever play the game. Incredibly, Jones hit exactly .304 from the left side of the plate and .304 from the right side in nearly 9,000 major league at-bats. When discussing the greatest players to ever hit from both sides of the plate, the same three names are almost exclusively part of the conversation. The undisputed champ of switch hitters is Yankee legend, Mickey Mantle whose mythic power and speed led to 536 career home runs and 7 World Series

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

titles in pinstripes. As Chipper’s career wound down it was obvious that he would usurp Eddie Murray as the third member of this prestigious conversation. The man elbowing his way from second to first in many discussions is the Hit King himself, Pete Rose. Rose played 24years in the big leagues accumulating a truly stupefying 4,256 hits, the most all-time. He is also the all-time leader in games played, plate appearances and at-bats. Defining Moment: Chipper Jones won the lone batting title of his illustrious career at age 36. That season, Jones drew 29 more walks (90) than he had strikeouts (61). Legendary Skill: Switch-Hitting & Unquenchable thirst for the tears of Mets’ fans. Iconic Number: 1,510 – the number Vladimir Guerrero admires a fly ball off of an unsuspecting Mets Chipper reached to surpass Mickey pitcher at Shea Stadium in 2002. Mantle for 2nd place on the all-time RBI list for switch-hitters. Mickey pitchers by hitting pitches that were far outside Mantle was the childhood idol of Chipper’s fa- the strike zone. ther, Larry Jones Sr. Vladimir Guerrero collected 2,590 major league Wacky Stat: Chipper Jones did not make the hits and hundreds of them were nowhere near National League All-Star Team in 1999, the the strike zone. The term “pitchers pitch” did same year he won the MVP. He would make not apply when pitching to Vlad Guerrero. The eight All-Star teams overall. idea of putting a pitch out of the strike zone where a hitter couldn’t get to it was a foreign Vladimir Guerrero – Outfielder – Los Angeles subject to Vlad. The guy made a career on Angels – (92.9% -24th all-time) 2nd Ballot reaching out -one or two feet outside the strike zone - and making solid, often violent, contact. Vladimir Guerrero was one of the greatest His ability to put the barrel of the bat onto the modern examples of a player that exhibits Hall baseball is perhaps unparalleled even amongst of Fame talent and appeal that transcends ana- the greats that line the walls of Cooperstown. lytics or advanced metrics. For millions of fans that witnessed the evolution of the gangly Do- In a way you could say that Vladimir Guerrero minican outfielder, unleashing laser like throws was the perfect athlete to inaugurate the Interthat whizzed over the vibrant green AstroTurf net Age. His status on the world stage evolved of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, there was al- and increased as technology did, beckoning in ways something uniquely lovable about Vlad. the era of YouTube and 24-hour highlight Maybe it was his effervescent grin that was shows by filling up highlight reels with hits on often present but no more prevalent than just pitches thrown in the dirt, mind-numbing after he had done something absolutely throws from right field and home runs that still ridiculous. Most often, it was befuddling may be in orbit somewhere. • Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

Vladimir Guerrero stuns fans and players alike by drilling a single into left-center field on a pitch that bounced a foot in front of home plate.

Guerrero was a elected to the All-Star team nine times in his 16 year career while collecting eight Silver Slugger Awards playing for the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Angels, Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers. Vlad did most of his damage in an Angel uniform and he will wear the Halo proudly when he enters the Hall of Fame this summer. However most baseball fans remember him for his exploits as an Expo.

likes of Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson and, of course, Vladimir Guerrero as teenagers playing in the Expo blue. It was no coincidence that the year the Expos decided to move south for good was also the year that Guerrero took his talents elsewhere - to Disneyland, in fact - to join the Anaheim Angels for the 2005 season. The Expos would have to play their final season in Canada without their prodigal son. Vlad Guerrero headed to California as the Expos all-time leader in batting average (.323), home runs (234), slugging (.588), and OPS (.978).

The Expos were always the lovable losers up north, never truly a threat to other National League teams but constantly replete with good, young talent looking to make their bearings in Canada before searching for greener pastures stateside. The reasons for the Expos’ lack of success are multi-layered and have as much to do with economics and sociology than the team’s ability to put a winning product on the field. In his eight years playing in Montreal, Vladimir Guerrero never participated in a playoff game. In fact, the Expos have only made a postseason series a single time - in 1981. The franchise would not enjoy October baseball for another 31 years and when that day finally did come in the fall of 2012, it was as the Washington Nationals.

When Vladimir Guerrero joined the Angels for the 2004 season, to say he made an immediate impact would be a massive understatement. Vlad scored a club record with 124 runs), led the American league with 13 outfield assists , and tied an Angels record with 366 total bases. Guerrero brought his signature aggressive approach at the plate to the West Coast and hit .337 swinging at pitches all over the map. His transition to a different city and a different league did nothing to temper the fervor fans displayed at his exploits and he led all of Major League baseball in All-Star votes that season as well.

The team moved to the nation’s capital in 2004, ending a 35 year run in Montreal that saw the

Following an injury plagued season in 2009, Guerrero and the Angel’s parted ways sending

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

BASEBALL TRIVIA 1: What baseball team retired the jerseys of Ken Boyer, Lou Brock and Dizzy Dean? 2: What sports figure, when asked if he'd seen Dr. Zhivago, allegedly said: "No I feel fine"? 3: What former L.A. Dodgers southpaw autographed yarmulkes that fetched $75 each in 1995? 4: Whose single-season strikeout record did Nolan Ryan beat by one? 5: What 1995 change to Kansas City's stadium "smells like baseball" to Cal Ripken? 6: Who did the Boston Bruins lose 18 straight playoff series to, form 1946 to 1987? 7: What did Phil Niekro throw six times in one 1979 game, including four in one inning, typing per game and per inning records? 8: Who was baseball's acting commissioner during the infamous 1994-95 strike? 9: What Baltimore hurler claimed the only thing manager Earl Weaver knew about pitching was that "he couldn't hit it"? 10: What Yankee pitcher threw his first no-hitter the night before hid dad had open-heart surgery, in 1996? 11: What relief pitcher was nicknamed for the pet he kept while playing for the Pirates? 12: What major league baseball team started playing in Coors Stadium in 1995? 13: Who was the first Baltimore Oriole to be named American League MVP? Answers: 1-The Saint Louis Cardinals. 2-Yogi Berra. 3-Sandy Koufax. 4-Sandy Koufax's. 5-Natural grass. 6-The Montreal Canadians. 7-Wild pitches. 8-Bud Selig. 9-Jim Palmer. 10-Dwight Gooden. 11-"Goose" Gossage. 12- The Colorado Rockies. 13-Brooks Robinson.

â&#x20AC;˘ Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports â&#x20AC;˘

Defining Moment: July 7, 2001; Vlad Guerrero catches the ball on one hop off the outfield turf in Toronto. He gathers, turns, and unleashes a throw - flat footed - that sores some 300 feet on the fly into the unmoving glove of Michael Barrett who tags a stunned Albert Castillo out home plate. Vlads arm becomes cemented in lore forever. Legendary Skill: Throwing Arm and Complete indifference for the theory of the strike zone Vladimir Guerrero prepares in the on-deck circle before a game at Angels Stadium in 2005.

Vlad a few thousand miles to the west to join the Texas Rangers in Arlington. Vlad would only play two more seasons of Major League Baseball, the 2010 season with the Rangers and his final campaign, the 2011 season with the Baltimore Orioles. Despite trekking into his mid-thirties, the proverbial â&#x20AC;&#x153;beginning of the endâ&#x20AC;? for most baseball players, Vlad continued to show why he was a certified shoe-in to make it into Cooperstown. In his penultimate season, with the Texas Rangers in 2010, Vlad played in 152 games in which he hit exactly .300 with 178 hits and 115 RBI. He also helped lead a young Ranger squad to the World Series that season where they would fall to the San Francisco Giants in five games. 2010 was the 8th time that Vladimir Guerrero had played in over 150 games in a season - he was 35 years old. For the 2011 season Vlad joined the Orioles and still managed to play in 145 games, mostly as the designated hitter. Despite his advanced age and a few steps lost, Vlad the Impaler continuously displayed to stay within traditional baseball limits. He swung at balls over his head, in the dirt and some that nearly hit him. Despite his questionable pitch selection, Vlad consistently struck the ball with authority to the tune of 163 hits and a.290 batting average showing that he was determined to leave the game just as he had entered it - swinging all the way.

Iconic Number: 2,587 - The number of hits Vladimir Guerrero reached on September 25, 2011 making him the all-time leader in hits for Dominican born players. He finished with 2,590 hits - a record that would stand until September 18, 2014 when fellow Dominican

Vladimir Guerrero and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wave to an adoring Olympic Stadium crowd in Montreal in 2002. Vlad Jr. would go on to be a first round pick and #1 hitting prospect in baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2018.

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

(and future Hall of Famer) Adrian Beltre collected his 2,591st hit against the Oakland Athletics. Wacky Stat: Vladimir Guerrero led the league in outfield errors eight times in his career (‘97-’03, ‘07-’08). He also led the league in Intentional Walks five times (‘00, ‘05-’08) and is 5th all time in career intentional walks. Jim Thome - 1st Baseman Cleveland Indians - (89.1% 35th all-time) 1st Ballot James Howard Thome played Major League Baseball for over two decades. In that time, he became forever immortalized in the hearts and minds of baseball fans everywhere for two distinct traits: Power and kindness. However cheesy or romantic it may Jim Thome launches one of the 337 home runs he would sound to look back on a career hit in Cleveland Indians uniform. that spanned 22 years and accounted for 612 home runs only Thome did most of his damage on the field to highlight the player’s niceness, it is imperative during the 13 years he spent in a Cleveland Inwhen discussing the impact that Jim Thome dians’ uniform, although it took him several had on the game to do just that. Perhaps the years to get his bearings in the major leagues rarest commodity in professional sports, Jim before really hitting his Hall of Fame stride. Thome was a legitimate nice person. He was not Drafted in 1989,Thome did not really establish one of those guys that flashed a smile just for himself as a certified pro until 1994, a season the camera or brought a film crew to hospital that was shortened and eventually cancelled visits but rather a man who befriended every- due to a players strike. Thome had 20 home one in his home stadium - from the clubhouse runs in 98 games before the season was attendant to the pretzel vendor in center field. abruptly ended and from that year on never The staff from Progressive Field, the late Veter- dipped below that 20 home run mark when he ans Stadium, U.S Cellular Field and Target Field was healthy. In fact in the 16 years between in Minnesota are replete with the anecdotes 1994 and 2011, Thome hit 20 home runs or about the genuine kindness of Jim Thome. more 15 times, only missing that number in an injury shortened season in 2005 where he The stories of his generosity and humbleness played in only 59 games. are juxtaposed profoundly with the concentrated aggression that he would inflict on base- Thome didn’t climb up the all-time rankings to balls on a daily basis. There is something so become one of only 10 guys to ever reach the much more damaging to a pitcher's psyche hallowed 600 home run mark by churning out knowing that the guy who just took him deep 20 home runs per year, however. Instead, Jim to the parking lot also has a heart of gold and Thome hit 30+ 12 times, 40+ home runs five would gladly help him change a tire on the side times and a 50 home run campaign in 2002. He of the road. was also a prolific run producer as well, racking up nine seasons of over 100 RBI and three sea• Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

he was consistently overshadowed by teammates like Manny Ramirez, Albert Belle, David Justice and Kenny Loften. While none of these players would spend as many years as Jim Thome did representing Chief Wahoo. His under-theradar style and quiet demeanor caused the media and fans alike to cling to some of the flashier, more controversial talents. Perhaps Jim Thome’s career is best appreciated in retrospect, one that transcended the stereotypical image of a power hitting slugger and replaced it with a humility and grace we may not have seen before or since. The IndiJim Thome, 41, with his signature bat-point before the pitcher delivers in Camden ans organization has Yards in 2012, Thome's his final season. correctly immortalized the feats of Thome by sons of a batting average of .300 or higher. It commissioning a statue of the 6,3 230 lb lefty may come as a shock to a lot of baseball fans to sit just a few paces away from where the that the exploits of Jim Thome did not garner baseball landed after he struck a 511 foot home more notoriety. There is undoubtedly no quirun in 1999 - still the longest home run in the eter 600 home run career in baseball history history of Progressive Field. In addition to carand likely won't be one as low key ever again. rying himself as one of the must humble slugThe reason that Jim Thome lived out his 22 gers in baseball history, part of the reason for year baseball life in relative obscurity is that he Thome’s low-key Hall of Fame career is that he was collecting a mountainous stack of home played only a handful of seasons outside of the runs at the same time that baseball was filled to midwest. He spent 13 seasons in Cleveland, 4 in the brim with performance enhancing drugs. Chicago and 2 in Minnesota. He hit more than Not once was Thome’s name ever brought up half of his 612 home runs as an Indian and with those that used drugs to play better. Not reached home run number 500 and 600 in a word was ever said that connected with the Chicago and Minnesota, respectively. He did massive steroid ring that was crippling the spend 4 years in Philadelphia as the Phillies moral fiber of Major League Baseball. The ofpower hitting first baseman but a few seasons fensive dominates of the late 90’s and early derailed due to injury and only a relatively brief 2000’s made it so that Thome wasn’t even the stint in the red pinstripes kept him from becombest player on his own team for much of his caing one of those Grade-A superstars that reer. Despite ending his career as the all-time Philadelphia is known to foster given the right leader in home runs in Indians franchise history, circumstances.

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

Jim Thome made a name for himself by proving out in real time the benefits of getting every ounce of your body weight into a swing. Scouts, fans and players all marveled at Thome’s legendary ability to get the lower half of his body engaged in his swing. His near perfect mechanics made the ferocity with which he struck baseballs seem almost effortless. However, it was not just the power that had opposing pitchers sweating out there it was also Thome’s elite ability to get on base. Nine times Thome racked up over 100 walks in a season and 10 times he had an on-base percentage of over .400 making him a near coin flip to get on base in any given at bat. Jim Thome did it all and he did it with a smile. His humility and affection for all people, big and small, is a legacy that leaves a more profound impact on the world than any number of accolades or hall of fame plaque. Even amidst legendary milestones, Thome kept his down to earth attitude through it all, even deciding to hand deliver his 500th home run ball to Cooperstown personally in a expedition he turned into a father son road trip with his father, “Big” Chuck Thome. Jim called the trip the “greatest moment of his life” outside the birth of his two children.

Trevor Hoffman throws a pitch for the expansion Florida Marlins in 1992

Defining Moment: Game 5, 1995 ALCS vs the Mariners. The 1995 Mariners went on a miracle run to win the AL West in the last stretch of the season. After advancing to the ALCS they were poised to make a World Series run and fulfil their role as the team of destiny. That was until Jim Thome stepped to the plate and hit a goahead, 2-run home run in the 6th inning. It was a back breaking moment for the Mariners who went on to lose the game and the series. Thome and the Tribe went on to the Fall Classic and the clutch dinger became the most iconic

of Jim Thome’s career. Legendary Skill: Power and Kindness Iconic Number: 612 - the number of homeruns Jim Thome finished his career with, good enough for 8th most all time. He is one of six guys to reach the magical 600 home run number without alleged or proven allegations of steroid use. Wacky Stat: Despite two decades worth of

• Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

dominance, Jim Thome never finished higher than 4th in MVP voting for his entire career. Trevor Hoffman â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Trevor Hoffman had what some would consider a Lunch Pail Career. The kind of career where a player showed up each and every day and got his job done with none of the controversy or flash that has been the signature for so many stars before and since. Even amongst the great relief pitchers, Hoffman has a special understatedness that has caused many to overlook just how consistently dominant he was for 18 big league seasons. Apart from the final two years, age 41 and 42 season, where Trevor Hoffman played for the Milwaukee Brewers, he threw nearly every pitch as a major league player in a Padres uniform. The Padres, devoid of a World Series championship and what most would consider a winning pedigree, do boast two of the greatest

names in baseball history. The first, is the late greater Tony Gwynn, who treated opposing pitchers like batting practice over his __ years in the big leagues. Next on that list is Trevor Hoffman, who for 16 years donned the San Diego blue and consistently accumulated hundreds of saves until he was alone on the mountaintop. On September 24, 2006 Trevor Hoffman retired Freddy Sanchez of the Pittsburgh Pirates on a down and away changeup for the final out of the game. As Sanchez, who would be crowned National League batting champion later that week, walked off the field dejected, Hoffman was hoisted atop the shoulders of his teammates and hailed with cheers from the opposing PNC Park crowd. Even Pirates fans had to admire the body of work that Hoffman had displayed for so long, culminating with the 479th save of his professional career. Finally, Hoffman had usurped the great Cardinals hurler, Lee Smith on the top of the list of alltime saves, a stat that had garnered more and

Trevor Hoffman mid-delivery at Petco Park in 2008, with his hand wrapped around the baseball in his familiar change-up grip.

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

Trevor Hoffman enjoys a moment pre-game with All-Time saves leader, Mariano Rivera in his final season. Hoffman and Padres gifted Mo with a custom #42 Yankees bike.

more attention as the decades rolled on. But it was that workman like consistency that eventually led to the sweet climax of that Lunchpail Career. In the 15 seasons between 1995 and 2009, Hoffman collected 40 more saves in a season 14 times. A nearly unprecedented level of consistency that would earn the right hander eight All-Star selections and two Rolaid Relief Pitcher of the Year awards. Like so many great pitchers and Hall of Famers before him, the statistics do not come close to telling the whole story about just what kind of player Trevor Hoffman was. There are only a few pitchers in baseball history that are forever associated with one particular pitch. The list is short: Mariano Rivera’s cutter, Bruce Sutter’s splitter, and Trevor Hoffman’s change up. You can make the case for Sandy Koufax’s curveball or Nolan Ryan’s fastball but as far as guys that made a name throwing one particular pitch almost exclusively - that’s the list. All three of those names are part of the upper echelon of closers to ever pick up a baseball and somehow they managed to have Hall of Fame careers throwing pitches that the batter knew full well were coming. Hoffman never had the benefit of a mid-nineties fastball or a devastating 12-6 hook but what he did have was the inability to feel timid or fearful on the

mound combined an absolutely devastating ability to change speeds. Despite throwing the vast majority of his pitches in the low to mideighties, the unassuming hurler finished in the top six in Cy Young voting four times and in the top 10 in MVP voting twice. He pitched 13 seasons with an ERA under 3.00 Defining Moment: After helping to end the Padres 12-year playoff drought just two years earlier, Hoffman was called upon to secure the four-out save with Padres leading 2-1 over the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the 1998 NLCS. Hoffman struck out Javy Lopez in the 8th inning end the threat, before shutting the door in the 9th, including a strike out of his future classmate, Chipper Jones on, what else - a high fastball. Legendary Skill: Change-up Iconic Number: 601 - the total number of saves Trevor Hoffman collected in his career. Second all-time to the great Mariano Rivera. Wacky Stat: After being selected in the 11th round of the 1989 draft by the Cincinnati Reds, Hoffman was chosen in the 1992 expansion draft by the brand new Florida Marlins. He would be traded to the Padres the following season for future All-Star, Gary Sheffield.

• Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

GREG MOORE:

Defining a Philosophy By John Hunting

CATION AN DU

Like most young men post-high school, Greg Moore was confused and unprepared for the future when he entered Long Beach Community College following a successful playing career at Millikan High School in east Long Beach. He soon transferred to the University of San Francisco, a Jesuit university, where he

Greg Moore posing on his home field with his favorite book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covery

Born and raised in Long Beach underneath that same California sun, Greg Moore has found a way to channel that cultural idealism into a legitimate infrastructure for change. Since 2013, Greg Moore has found himself at the helm of CSUN baseball but for the previous two decades he has been honing and perfecting a personal philosophy that has changed the lives of dozens of young men over that time.

California has long been a land ripe with idealism. Since the 49er’s rushed to The Golden State in search of riches, a culture of radical innovation and tolerance for transient idiosyncrasies has incubated within the nearly 900 miles of shoreline. It is no coincidence that the cradle of technological innovation for the past 30 years is nestled in the foothills of Southern California and it was of course a very famous Californian who reminded us all that “the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, usually do.” One of those crazy people happens to be the Head Baseball Coach of Cal State Northridge, Greg Moore.

RE E ER R A DIN E

would join the pitching staff as an untested transfer. Moore managed to impress head coach, Nino Giarratano but struggled staying on the mound due to persistent elbow trouble. Despite throwing from the left side, a significant dip in velocity led Moore to reevaluate his value as a ballplayer, a teammate and as a person. But it was through these struggles, however, that his transformative philosophy would begin to take shape. Moore was named to the West Coast Conference All-Academic Team in 2001. As a player, he won the team's "Most Inspirational" award in back-to-back seasons and the award now bears his name. “I think the Jesuits had a lot to do with my philosophy. I realized that

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

• Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

the approach of a Jesuit- Catholic school is service first.” Moore said when asked about the genesis of his philosophy. “I didn’t quite know that I wanted to do after I entered 4-year college after junior college but the idea of putting the team first is easy to understand when you’re an athlete but then you start to think about what you want to do in life to continue to continue put the ‘team first’.” To Greg Moore, being “team first” was more than just being there for your teammates or putting in the work, it was a mindset that would translate to everything a player did on and off the field. Some players are just predisposed to coaching, either due to personality, intelligence or something that makes them relatable. “Coaching was just a natural fit when I understood that there is another way to look at what we do. It’s not what you get it’s what you give. The Jesuit philosophy really hit that.” Moore said when discussing his transition into coaching. “So i started to become a coach when I started to understand how they went about educating. Second of all I was around a great

head coach [Nino Giarratano]. So I started to become a coach even before I was done playing. After going under the knife to try to correct some of the lingering arm issues, Greg Moore was forced to shift his mindset on the fly. “I technically should have been done playing. I had two arm surgeries so I wasn’t pitching anymore.” Moore said when discussing how his health issues played a role in his mindset. “That’s when I became a catcher and started seeing things from a service side. That service was how I could, even in small ways, coach someone into good things on the field but hopefully let that translate to off-the-field. I think that philosophy started at the University of San Francisco and I've been lucky enough to coach for almost 20 years and try to put that into practice with our own athletes.” Part of what makes Moore’s philosophy so relatable and easy to understand for so many people is that it stems from adversity. It was born, like most great innovations, out of pure necessity.

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

• Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

Greg Moore with Hall of Famer and California legend, Tommy Lasorda

“It was a big lesson.” Moore said of the struggles he faced, “The big lesson is that most of the bad things that happen to us end up being the best teachers and sometime the best direct circumstance for us. I was banging my head against the wall trying to get back on the field, I learned a lot, I prioritized much better and I understood there are other ways to help a team even if you’re not directly in the mix using the skills you want to use. Through it all Greg Moore remained focused on improving the team, a mindset that would be one of the cornerstones of his institutional philosophy. “I just decided that I wanted to find a different way to make a our team better.” Moore said of his on the sidelines, “That’s when I think I started to learn the organizational side, the importance of healthy culture. I think I was lucky to get hurt when I did and to struggle as long as I did to try to come back and be a baseball

player. What it did was make a coach a lot sooner than I planned.” It is rare that an athlete will ever admit, especially out loud, that they were lucky in any way to be injured. However, it is this kind of pragmatism and positivity that makes Moore’s philosophy so ingenious. In addition to being pragmatic, Moore is fiercely dedicated to the concept of education and the role that it plays in the development of young men . He took this obsession and channeled it to his master’s thesis where he would outline a brand new way of thinking about and implementing education for young athletes. He would title the idea Diamond University. “Diamond University is a formalized class and an idea. We meet once a week to talk about lessons from the business and family.” Moore said of his game-changing educational program, “We compare and relate to the sports and team life that student-athletes live. The idea is that

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

we can always compare the skills and habits it takes to accomplish one task, and apply them to another. Taking out the trash, or writing a paper well is a lot like making a pitch. The class is discussion-based and in large part supported by books.”

thought about confidence, reputation and character. And then we take our guys out once we’re ready and we teach exhibitions at elementary schools so they get the experience of teaching and giving. And then the young guys can look at our players and say I want to be like that one day, I want to embody those good values.”

Diamond University is one of the main pillars of Greg Moore’s overall coaching philosophy and is part of his calculus when considering players to recruit and solutions to consider. It is also what made Greg Moore such an obvious fit when considering partnerships for Home Field for Champions. The focus on education through baseball is part of the heart and soul of both CSUN and Home Field for Champions.

The act of paying it forward by creating situations where his own players are out there exhibiting the same lessons he is teaching and acting as role models for younger generations is part of what makes Greg Moore’s philosophy so transformative. It is not enough to put young men in the right position or to give them the right books; there must also be an element where they put those skills and tools into practice. Greg Moore’s Diamond Uni“I've never seen the value of a group CATION AN U D versity and the culture he has created line up so perfectly with Diamond Uniat CSUN are all part and parcel to creversity.” Moore said of Home Field for ating a well rounded and valuable Champions. “When we’re talking member of society. Home Field for about what Home Field for Champions RE E ER R A DIN E Champions has embraced the lessons wants to do and is going to do. I can’t Greg Moore has implemented within his stress enough how positive and productive own teams and used his wisdom to gain further this is going to be for youth baseball.” insight into how Home Field for Champions can “I sat back and thought, what do I want to write help kids of all different ages and skill sets. about?” Moore said about how he came up with the idea for Diamond University. “Well, I Part of that is gaining a better understanding of wish I knew as 6th-year senior, what I was learn- what it is that is plaguing youth baseball today. ing from the game of baseball when I was a A good way to gather insight into that matter is freshman in high school and I thought that if I to talk to individuals like Coach Moore to find could highlight some things in a 9-inning class out what he looks for in a player and how he or course that I could share it with a couple of would improve things at lower levels. teammates or young players and say ‘Hey, don’t forget when you run hard through the bag “When I start to look at players I want two you’re not just running hard through the bag things; First, I want players that speak the lanbecause someone told you to. You’re honoring guage of values. Not the language of stuff.” the work. You’re trying to get through the bag Moore said, “Second, I want them to be ready to have values imposed on them. This is an orbecause it’s the right thing to do.” ganization. We have our set of pillars that matDiamond University first had to get its sea legs ter and we always go back to the same key by proving it’s worth on Moore’s own team- principles. If you're not open to have these things dropped within your mind, you're just mates. not ready to commit to good decisions that it's “I got some guest speakers and we started to going to take to make CSUN baseball successful put this whole curriculum together and it consistently. So if someone speaks that lang of started to develop and it became something I values, and they're ready to have values impose used when I started to coached.” Moore said, on them and embody them every day - talent is “Now Diamond University is at the hub of what a 2nd factor - its got to be there - but without we do. It starts with our players, we work in a those two things the talent will not potentiate.” classroom we learn what John Wooden • Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

Greg Moore participating in one of the dozens of clinics he participates in for young ballplayers in Southern California

It is obvious that Greg Moore requires that any recruit first must commit to buying in to the CSUN philosophy and despite the obvious focus on winning, Moore is obsessed with how a player deals with failure. To him and the rest of the CSUN coaching staff, there are few better yardsticks for measuring the mental fortitude of a potential recruit. “You can get a lot of that when you get into conversations about success and failure, goals and planning. Anytime someone is dodging responsibility they are looking for stuff or they’re looking to feel good.” Moore said about understanding failure.” “Neither one of those roads are going to get you very far. Some of Moore’s most insightful anecdotes and lessons come from those he has watched fail. “One of my favorite recruits I’ve ever watched - he gave up 7 runs in an inning a third when I came to watch him pitch. The way he handled that outing within the outing, not because I was there, but for his team, in that moment - was like a champion.” Moore said, “The way he talked about it afterwards, the way he talked and almost laughed but then talked very ration-

ally about the things he wa going to get better at - thats a guy that really understands what he is trying to embody. He's not worried that he lost a scholarship - he actually didn't, he got one - because of the way he processed failure. I think the same thing with success.” What makes Greg Moore such a special person is far beyond the success he has displayed on the baseball field. What makes him special is his ability to see the deeper intuitions of a young athlete and what exactly it is that can make them better. It is not that Coach Moore has any super human sense for emotion, it is just that he cares enough to study and analyze what makes a player great or what makes a player poor. It is much easier to scout and recruit based off sheer numbers and far simpler to account for character second. However, Coach Moore has gained a perspective on what makes even the best players great or causes them to struggle. Since 2014, Moore has served as a member of the coaching staff for USA Baseball's U-18 National Team. He served as an assistant for the Tournament of the Stars and National Team Trials in 2014 before becoming the team's pitching

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

coach in 2015. Moore served as pitching coach for Team USA's U-18 National Team in the summer of 2015 where the USA would go on to win a gold medal in Osaka, Japan, defeating host Japan in the championship game. Moore's pitching staff posted a 2.19 ERA in 115 innings of international competition. “I believe that not being a very good player it probably makes you a little bit better coach. I took that to USA.” Coach Moore said of his thought process when taking the USA position, “I understood these are the best players in the country but they are struggling with certain things: whether that's skill development things, or off the field pressure that are tough understand if you've never been through that. When you understand what it’s like to struggle to throw strikes, it does help you walk in the shoes that may have a different challenge. But you know how hard this game is. However, it wasn’t the pure talent that impressed Moore, despite the legitimate firstround talent that was on his staff. Instead it was their ability to humble themselves before a larger cause. Sacrificing that instinctual “me” attitude for pure humility at what it is you’re standing for.

“To see the best players in the country put that USA on their chest and play for something bigger than themselves is really special and to see the humility that comes from that.” Moore said of his world championship team, “Even for the top-10 guys in that class. They shouldn't respect it enough because they don't have the life experience enough to realize the beauty of this country but its almost instinctual that as soon as the jersey goes on they realize there's something much, much bigger than them. I think that’s the best teacher for the young, high profile player, you start to understand serving a bigger purpose when you put that USA jersey on.” Representing a bigger purpose is part of what has made Greg Moore and CSUN so great. The implementation of an education-first, character-first culture allows the opportunity for players and coaches alike to realize that there are multiple levels to being an athlete. That the lessons you learn on the field do not stop being important once you step over those white lines. To be able to partner with and implement the philosophies Greg Moore has fostered over the past two decades has put Home Field for Champions and Cal State Northridge in a position to legitimately help hundreds and thousands of young athletes realize “bigger purpose” on and off the field.

• Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

THE BASEBALL PITCHER'S DIET As reported from sfgate.com As a 183-pound baseball pitcher, you can burn as much as 900 calories in 2 hours of play, says the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. If your diet doesn't supply these calories from a variety of healthy, nutrient-dense foods, you won't perform your best. Ask your doctor or a sports nutritionist to help you develop a diet plan that you'll enjoy -- and stick with -- at home and away. dairy are good options. Your diet should supply Fill Up on Carbohydrates approximately 0.55 to 0.8 gram of protein per Former Chicago Cubs pitching expert Steven pound of your body weight daily. By Ellis says carbohydrates are a baseball including 20 to 30 grams of protein pitcher's primary source of energy at each meal, you should reach this while playing. The average pitcher recommendation. needs 2.3 to 3.2 grams of carbohydrates for every pound of his body Choose Fats Carefully weight per day, meaning a 190A 190-pound pitcher should conpound player should have around sume about 85 grams of fat each day, 437 to 608 grams daily. The bulk of or 0.45 gram of fat for each pound these carbohydrates should be from he weighs. However, not just any fat TH AN L A D whole grains like brown rice or HE can be used to fulfill this requirewhole-wheat bread, fruits and vegment. The majority should come etables. Avoid products containing from natural mono- and polyunsatrefined grains and sugar. urated sources like canola or olive oil, WE avocados, nuts and seafood. He LLNESS Pick Plenty of Lean Protein should avoid saturated fat, products Baseball pitchers need low-fat prolike commercial snacks that contain tein sources, especially before a game trans fats, fried foods, butter and when high-fat meal may cause digesfull-fat dairy products such as whole tive problems. Lean beef or pork, milk. skinless poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, beans, nuts and nut butters, seeds, Drink Plenty of Fluid soy products and low-fat or nonfat Without enough fluid, you may

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

develop cramps or heat illness while pitching. To determine how much you need, halve your weight and aim to drink that many ounces of fluid daily. Drink 2 cups several hours before a practice or game, 6 to 8 ounces every 15 minutes while you're active and 24 ounces for every pound of body weight you lost while playing. Stay away from caffeine, alcohol, juice and carbonated beverages. Instead, drink water or sports drinks. If you're playing in hot weather, choose a sports drink that can replenish your electrolytes.

approximately 4,000 calories each day could start with a breakfast of low-sugar, high-fiber cereal like granola with low-fat milk, 1 cup of sliced fresh fruit like strawberries and a glass of 100 percent fruit juice. He might snack on a whole-wheat nut butter and jelly sandwich midmorning and have baked chicken breast, brown rice, mixed vegetables and low-fat milk for lunch. Dinner could consist of soft tacos containing lean ground beef, reduced-fat cheese and fresh vegetables. Throughout the afternoon and evening, he could snack on raw vegetables with low-fat dip, pretzels, fruit and low-fat yogurt.

Putting It All Together A 200-pound male baseball pitcher consuming

â&#x20AC;˘ Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports â&#x20AC;˘

SPARE PARTS: THE REVIVAL OF THE BULLPEN CAR By Vladimir Tretiak

There are few men who have been able to make the slow jog from the bullpen to the pitcher’s mound more than just that - a boring jog. When you prepare for your job a hundred yards or so away from where you will go to work, a hearty canter across some perfectly manicured grass is hardly too much to ask - especially for professional athletes. We remember the names that have made the opening of that cumbersome bullpen door, appearing like a Mets' all-time saves leader, John Franco chauffeurs in secret passageway from the outfield wall, "Ya Gotta' Believe" architect, Tug McGraw during a 30th something even slightly more than just some anniversary celebration of the National League Chamdowntime to grab another hot dog. pion 1973 Mets at Shea Stadium in September 2003. Many can remember the gooseHowever, this year, Major League bumps they felt as Metallica’s Baseball is dusting off a short lived “Enter Sandman” blasted through relic of the game. A bi-product of the Yankee Stadium speakers beck1970’s trends that often drifted into oning the undisputed champion of the bizarre, the Bullpen Car is making the bullpen, Mariano Rivera, into a comeback. The revival comes just as the ballgame. The clips of an unhitthe brass at MLB are looking for ways table Eric Gagne bursting through to both speed up the game and appeal the blue wall in Chavez Ravine with LTURE AND to a younger audience. It’s hard to say CU ‘GAME OVER” flashing on every how often and for how many ballclubs illuminated surface in Dodger Stawe will see the tiny golf carts appear dium, are legendary. But to pretend but it is safe to say any added juice that these rituals are anything less O C CIA that can be pumped into an otherwise than the exception rather than L LITERA forgettable process can only be good the rule would be silly. The vast for the brand. The question is, and has majority of bullpen entrances are frankly always been, how necessary as unmemorable as the grounds are these goofy carts? It offers crew watering down the infield in undoubted advertising opportunities between innings. In fact, if the PA for the more fiscally minded and the announcer didn’t tell the fans that unmistakable aroma of nostalgia that a new pitcher was coming in, is forever craved by baseball fans we might all miss it all together.

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

On June 23, 1959 The Milwaukee Braves debut a Harley-Davidson driven by a chauffeur (with uniform and cap) The Cardinals' pitcher Hal Jeffcoat is the first player to take the trip.

â&#x20AC;˘ Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports â&#x20AC;˘

The Seattle Mariners and admire the infamous "Tugboat" during a pitching change in the 1981 season.

everywhere. It is difficult to say why the phenomenon of the bullpen cart entered and left the game so briskly but many baseball fans are awaiting the triumphant return in whatever form it comes. Baseball historians are inconsistent as to how exactly the bullpen car came in to effect and where exactly the first instance of such a transport took place. The closest thing we can get to a consensus is that during the 1951 season, reliever Marv Rotblatt entered the game for the Chicago White Sox at old Comiskey Park traveling from the bullpen to the pitcher's mound in a tiny vehicle that looked like it had been plucked straight from an airport terminal. Most self proclaimed experts point to this moment as the first appearance of the of bullpen in a major league game and was the catalyst behind the sensation to follow. As expected, the move was met with equal parts skepticism and intrigue. Like any other new addition to the baseball world, hardliners for the sport felt victimized by what they felt to be nothing short of a gimmick. A less than enthusiastic writer for the Yankees wrote a scathing comment that insisted that the White Sox had devolved into “bush-league tactics.” The always innovative White Sox brass responded as if visiting oppo-

nents were simply jealous that the White Sox players were traveling greater luxury than themselves. To alleviate this inequality, the team purchased a black Cadillac from a nearby funeral home to transport opposing pitchers from the bullpen to the mound. This was a direct response to Yankees Manager Casey Stengel’s comment that his team would forgo riding in the original cumbersome vehicles, claiming his team “Is used to traveling in Cadillacs.” Ironically a few years later, as the bullpen car began to catch on, with a second instance of the phenomenon popping up for Charlie FInley’s newly transplanted, Kansas City Athletics, the White Sox were forced to retire their version. The problem was that the tiny cart and the men at it’s helm would be constantly pestered with debris from the stands. Fans had created a sort of quasi-game-within-the-game by taking aim at the bullpen cart when it would make its slow, electric trek from the outfield to the pitcher's mound. It wasn’t until 1965 that the bullpen car really established itself as a mainstream prop in Major League baseball with the majority of the vehicles still a bare bones, glorified golf cart. Fast forward a little less than seven years and, with bullpen cars quickly blending in to the land-

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

scape of professional baseball as just another routine, the Yankees introduced a specially designed Datsun that would usher in Yankee relievers from the outfield bullpen. Unlike the simple golf carts and transport vehicles that whizzed across outfields, the Yankees Datsun provided pitchers with the experience of actually commuting to work. They were able to climb in to the two-door coupe, lock the door and buckle up if they wanted. To say nothing about the strangeness of seeing a full car out on a baseball field, this particular Datsun was emblazoned with the Yankee logo and covered from hood-to-trunk with vintage Yankee pinstripes. It was the first instance of a team putting a personal spin on the bullpen car outside of just slapping a logo on the side. It was The 2018 Arizona Diamondbacks are the first team to implement the use 1995. However, the D'backs pitchers have been the proverbial powderkeg of a bullpen vehicle sinceslow to embrace carts. that launched the subsequent decades into what appeared to be a battle over stand just how extraordinary Mike Marshall who could add the most ridiculous spin to what was. was once so ridiculously routine. Despite his dominance out of the bullpen, Mike In another twist of fate, eight years later in 1980, Marshall was best known for his quirks. He a similarly pinstriped Toyota Corolla appeared would drink whole glasses of milk in front of his in the classifieds section of the New York Times. locker when he spoke to media. He’d often igOffering an “Authentic Collectors item” with nore or rebuff teammates for no apparent rea“Custom pinstripe w/ Yankee Logo. Best offer.” son. He even took the off seasons to earn both his masters degree and PhD in Kinesiology. By Like any trend that gains traction, there are the all accounts an absolutely brilliant man, Marshall masses that come on board and embrace the made a reputation for himself from the grandtrend as the new status quo. But on the other stands to the clubhouse as someone who was side of that coin you have the contrarians, who less than pleasant to be around. His above-avmake a name for themselves or find some sort erage intelligence and cocky demeanor led him of pride in going against the grain. The first high to voice his opinions loudly and frequently. profile star to shun the bullpen cart was Mike Marshall never coached nor held any job in Marshall, who in addition to being the biggest professional baseball after he retired; some name to choose a brisk jog over a leisurely ride, speculated that it was his famously sour would also become the first relief pitcher to win attitude that got him blackballed but regardless the Cy Young award. To understand just how of what was the final straw, dissing the bullpen unorthodox it was for Marshall to forego the car was not a good way to make friends in 1974. bullpen cart, it is easier to do so if you under-

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

The bullpen cars for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles sometime in the mid-'80's

The years 1981 and 1982 could easily be considered the prime or the peak of bullpen car insanity. With nearly every team employing some sort of vehicle to transport pitchers from bullpen mound to game mound, it was not enough to simply slap a team logo on the car and paint it to look like your uniform. On the contrary, the ever evolving designs of bullpen cars quickly took on the look of competing robotics clubs battling out over first prize. The more chique or quirky the vehicle appeared, the more appealing it was for fans and players alike. In 1981 the White Sox once again attempted to make a name for themselves in the realm of the weird and zany. Instead of the normal bullpen car or even a subtle derivative, the White Sox employed for the 1981 season a white and black Chrysler LeBaron as their bullpen vehicle. With neither George Costanza or Jon Voight on the White Sox roster, it was hard to get any of the players into the front seat. Regardless of its purpose, there was simply too much pride swallowing involved for any of the White Sox pitchers to role into work in the custom

Chrysler. Despite the reluctance, White Sox brass knew that they couldn’t let their newest prop go to waste and decided that even if the pitchers forwent the embarrassing ride, they would have had the LeBaron circle the warning track while he threw his warm up pitches. The warning track, by definition sits well within beer-throwing distance of the Comiskey Park stands leading to the perpetual soaking of the cars exterior with each and every lap around the field. Even though it certainly appeared to be entertaining to fans, the Sox scrapped the whole plan about a month in and the LeBaron was never seen again. The following year, 1982 saw perhaps the most absurd addition to any major professional sports franchise since Bill Veeck signed 3’ 7” Eddie Gaedel to play for the St. Louis Browns for one day in 1951. The main difference between Gaedel and what the Mariners rolled onto the field in ‘82 was that at least ostensibly, one of those two served a legitimate purpose. As sincere as Gaedel’s efforts may have been

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

(he did draw a walk before being removed for a pinch runner), he had nothing on The Tugboat. The Tugboat was a nautically inspired bullpen car that was a miniaturized model of a fireboat but actually just a small car dressed as a fireboat. Inauguration day for the tugboat was less than flawless as pitcher and resident prankster Bill Caudil absconded with the keys to The Tugboat leaving it stalled on the field and pushing back the time of first pitch. The Mariners, after seeing the resulting apathy that came from the players after the unveiling of the Tugboat, took a page out of the White Sox playbook and had the vehicle enter the field even if the pitcher had opted out of riding in the starboard side. However, instead of keeping the flashy and awkward boat-car on the warning track to be admired by the Mariner faithful, the front office or a sadistic member of the grounds crew would have The Tugboat race behind the incoming pitcher like a strangely menacing stranger chasing you to work. There are some who have rumored that Hall of Fame relief pitcher, Gaylord Perry who was part of the Mariners staff during that ‘81 season, actually held a “kangaroo court” that fined any reliever that rode in the cart. That may have contributed to the early decline and poor image but regardless the experiment was short lived and the Tugboat retired after only one season, Despite the ridiculousness of The Tugboat and frequency the bullpen carts were now appearing in games, the real height of the bullpen cart fame came in what many consider to be one of the greatest World Series ever played. Following in improbable victory in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, the Mets closed the door on the Boston Red Sox in Game 7 and pandemonium broke out at Shea Stadium. As fans poured onto the field and confetti rained from the skies, adrenaline fueled beer vendor, Eric Bennett famously hot wired the Mets bullpen car and began spinning donuts on the outfield grass amidst the celebration. The impromptu grand theft auto and subsequent showboating only further stirred the crowd’s fervor. The bullpen car, complete with giants Mets cap atop its plastic facade, cemented its place in Mets lore by stalling out on the outfield grass, becoming a

gathering point for jubilant fans as they embraced their new champions. The bullpen car went from the apex of it’s fame to the rocky bottom of irrelevance in a little less than 10 years. The Bullpen Cart Era left with a whimper akin to the whiney pitch of the electric engines. The final installment was a HarleyDavidson motorcycle outfitted with a sidecar for the pitcher. It was retired, along with all pitcher transport vehicles, at the close of the 1995 season. It is hard to say when exactly the bullpen cart moved from the played out gimmick to nostalgic relic, but since the turn of the millenium, requests for the quirky carts have slowly turned from rumbles to shouts leading their triumphant return for the start of the 2018 season. These are hardly the first words to be written about the revival of the bullpen cart, as many flocked to their laptops and notepads to dig up what they could about the once frenzied tradition. Many were desperate to see what the 2018 installment of the bullpen car would look like. It only seemed fitting that with all of the billions of dollars being pumped in to Major League Baseball the result of that money would be an appropriately opulent version of the bullpen car. The reality was slightly different as the first team to bring back the bullpen cart, the Arizona Diamondbacks unveiled their version to open the season on March 31. At the time of this writing the Diamondbacks have played 12 home games. Throughout those 12 home games and 91 innings, not a single Diamondbacks pitcher has taken the ride from the bullpen to the pitcher's mound. As fans stay poised in the stands, hands wrapped around cell phones waiting to chronicle the long awaited drive down the warning track, they are instead relegated to taking mocking photos of the stagnant Bullpen Car driver, idly texting on his own cell phone as the pitcher warms up. It’s hard to say if it simply taking a few weeks for the pitchers to warm up to the idea or if the mere concept of the bullpen car has become so outrageous that it is impossible to raise from the dead.

• Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

BOOK REVIEW

I’M KEITH HERNANDEZ BY KEITH HERNANDEZ Review by Kirkus.com A former major league baseball All-Star and MVP—and current TV analyst for the New York Mets—reviews his boyhood and the dawn of his professional career and reveals some of the secrets of his success. Although Hernandez claims that he doesn’t want his text to be like other baseball memoirs, in fundamental ways, it is exactly that. The author provides game-by-game accounts, descriptions of influences (good and bad and mixed), and details about influential managers such as Ken Boyer and fellow players, including Pete Rose—though the author does not comment on the Rose exclusion-from-the-Hall-of-Fame controversy. We learn about Hernandez’s Spanish heritage (though his teammates called him “Mex”), his flirtation with drugs, his sometimes-excessive drinking, and his struggles with his father, who trained him but ultimately couldn’t let go. But in his style, Hernandez does distinguish himself, offering a variety of chapters: flashbacks to boyhood (italicized), accounts

of his current occupation as a broadcaster, and details about his journey through the minor leagues and into MLB, where, after experiencing some difficulties and frustrations, he soon emerged as a major talent. He alternates the chapters, shifting readers from past to present to past again, and he pauses periodically to elaborate on certain elements of today’s game that annoy him: the obsession with home runs and the consequent shrinking of baseball parks and the soaring influence of statistics (see Moneyball). Hernandez concludes one minitirade with this: “Boring, one-base-at-atime, home-run baseball. Yuck.” We also learn some things about the author that may surprise readers—e.g., he likes to draw, and he collects first editions and works of art. Refreshingly, he also blames himself for the dissolution of his first marriage, confessing that he cheated on his young wife. Often candid and even self-deprecating memories by an athlete who once stood at the summit of his profession.

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

• Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

DR. BRANDON MARTIN A PROFILE ON HOME FIELD FOR CHAMPIONS FIRST CEO By Josh Citron John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35rd President of the United States and one of the great leaders in world history, was once quoted as saying â&#x20AC;&#x153;Leadership and Learning are indispensable to each other.â&#x20AC;? Someone who embodies the very essence of that statement is the new CEO for Home Field for Champions, Dr. Brandon Martin. Dr. Martin is a native Southern Californian who has excelled in sports, academics and leadership for several decades. His commitment to improving conditions for young people in the classroom and in their sport of choice made him an obvious candidate when looking for the first Chief Executive in the short history of Home Field for Champions. The most critical responsibilities bestowed upon the new CEO include implementing a strategic direction for the everyday operations of Home Field for Champions as well as maintaining a company culture that can be projected onto every person the organization touches. Dr. Martin will assist in the connection of Home Field for Champions to diverse and willing communities in Southern California and around the country using his decades of experience to help

implement an overarching system concentrated on future development. Before he was Dr. Brandon Martin, the future PhD earned his Bachelor of Arts in Primary Education from the University of Southern California in 1996. He continued his mission of higher learning by completing his Masters Degree in Postsecondary Education and Student Affairs six years later in 2002. It would take only three more years and thousands of hours of work before Brandon Martin officially earned the esteemed title of doctor from USC in 2005. Martin wrote his doctoral dissertation on A Phenomenological Study of Academically Driven African-American Male Student-Ath-

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

letes at Highly Selective Highly Selective Division-I Universities. Dr. Martin has undoubtedly referred to the same ideals and findings discussed in this dissertation in his pursuit of equal opportunity. The quality and depth of the dissertation earned it recognition as the 2005 Outstanding Dissertation of the Year award winner by the Rossier School of Education. That same year he also earned the National Association of Academic Advisors award for Student-Athlete Excellence in Research. After his academic career had reached its peak, Dr. Martin took his altruistic spirit and organizational expertise into an administrative role with his alma mater, taking over as the new Assistant Athletic Director in 2004. He would eventually climb the ladder to the position of Senior Associate Athletics Director for USC in 2005. He held that role until 2010 before taking joining the University of Oklahoma in that same senior role. It was as a Sooner that Martin’s national recognition began to grow. So much so, that when California State University at Northridge (CSUN) was looking for a new Director of Athletics, they knew just who to call.

From 2013 to 2018, Martin orchestrated the daily operations of CSUN’s athletics program that included 19 sport programs and hundreds of participating student-athletes. Part of what made Martin an attractive Chief Executive for Home Field for Champions is his ability to fund raise and lobby for a cause. At CSUN, Martin increased athletics donations by over 200%. In addition to upgrading athletics facilities, Martin used his added clout to score deals with huge brands and players in the industry. Early in his tenure, Dr. Martin announced a

• Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

multi-year partnership with Under Armour, giving exclusive rights for the apparel giant to outfit and supply equipment for all of CSUN Athletics. The partnership made CSUN Athletics Under Armour's first public institution partner on the West Coast and its first Big West Conference partner outside of football. Additionally, In 2017, Martin received recognition as one of Los Angelesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 100 Most Influential African-Americans at the 2017 African-American Vanguard Awards.

Quite simply, Dr. Brandon Martin brings to the CEO position a proven track record of raising funds, spreading messages and putting education above all else. His exceptional academic credentials intertwined with his nearly two decades worth of experience in amateur athletics only just begins to encapsulate the brilliance of Dr. Martin. It is safe to say that Home Field for Champions is in good hands.

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

WHAT IS BEHIND

ALL OF THIS RECRUITING BUSINESS? Inside the Mind of DORS RecruiterJordon Twohig As the spring high school and college season is in full swing, and the recruiting process is starting to develop with many families, it is a great chance to reflect on the fall and winter recruiting. As we look to the summer, this fun time is filled with endless evaluations, phone conversations and travel in search of men with great minds and talent; men we can call DORS. The recruiting process is different for all schools, but here are the things CSUN Baseball is mindful of: 1) Do they fit athletically what we need out on the field? 2) Do they play the game with passion on every pitch? 3) Most importantly – Do they have the right mind? As you can imagine, the first two are easy to spot! Physical makeup and passion are what draws us towards a player. However, in order to find the right mind, it truly takes patience and creativity. In order to accurately see a player’s make-up character) we have to see the games in which they do not succeed. Consistent among all recruiters, it’s necessary to see a player a few times before we start to truly formulate a strong opinion one way or another. Along with the evaluations, comes

phone conversations, visits to campus and even sometimes visits to a home or high school if the student-athlete is old enough to do so. This gathering of information gives us a great foundation as to who this person really is on the field and off the field. With all of this being said, there is no perfect science to finding the “right mind.” There are many variables studied before the coaching staff will pull the trigger on bringing a kid into the DORS program. Obviously no one is perfect or a “perfect fit” by any means. Being a Division I athlete is a difficult thing and it takes individuals who are coachable, resourceful, adaptable and most importantly, someone who can deal with failure. The process of finding the “rightmind” is a long one and by design. DORS recruiting can take longer than others. This is precisely why we value recruits that come along a little later in the season and in recruiting process. The motto “late is great” has given us great players that previously flew under the radar of other schools. As the “quiet period” comes to a close, we hope you take your time to enjoy the recruiting as much as we do. Ask the tough questions, talk to different schools and when you get the chance to lace up the cleats, have some fun and absolutely compete! Keep an eye out for more articles on baseball recruiting, and the overall process. Until then, take care and Go DORS Baseball!

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

Key Recruiting Terms from the NCAA: Quiet Period: During a quiet period, a college coach may only have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents on the college’s campus. A coach can’t wait a player from anywhere else but their college campus. Coaches may write or telephone college-bound student-athletes or their parents during this time. Dead Period: During a dead period a college coach may not have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents, and may not watch student-athletes compete or visit their high schools. Coaches

may write and telephone student-athletes or their parents during a dead period. Official vs. Unofficial Visit: Any visit to a college campus by a college-bound studentathlete or his or her parents paid for by the college is an official visit. Visits paid for by college-bound student-athletes or their parents are unofficial visits. During an official visit, the college can pay for transportation to and from the college for the prospect, lodging and three meals per day for both the prospect and the parent or guardian, as well as reasonable entertainment expenses including three tickets to a home sports event.

• Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

MAKING DIAMONDS OUT OF COLE A PROFILE ON OUR NEWEST PLAYER DEVELOPMENT EXPERT By Josh Citron Shaun Cole is one of those rare “baseball-guys” that is not afraid to go against tradition. In a sport that seems to require a healthy amount of nostalgia and where superstition is akin to religion, rebelling against the status quo is not only dangerous - at times it can be self-destructive. This tug-of-war between the past and present in professional baseball was epitomized through the struggle over the introduction of analytics. As sabermetrics and advanced statistics began to creep into the baseball lexicon, baseball hardliners innately rejected the attack on the traditions of the game. How could a of freshly graduated finance majors tell more about a ballplayer than a scout who has been watching players for 30 years? It was a question that seemed rhetorical at first before the understanding that sabermetrics and advanced statistics have a place in the game alongside the traditional methods. Shaun Cole is the embodiment of this struggle and although he is one of the most talented baseball minds in the country, he never backed down from challenging the status quo. Shaun Cole brings his transformative attitude to Home Field for Champions in an attempt to bring his philosophy and his player development expertise into an organization dedicated to changing lives. It is no accident that Cole connected with Home Field for Champions as he has been building one of the most impressive baseball resumes in the nation for the past decade and a half. He has played an integral role

in several organizations at the highest level of amateur and professional baseball in addition to assisting in the implementation of revolutionary philosophies in places like the Dominican Republic. Because of these experiences, Shaun Cole appeared as the perfect match for the organization as he exhibited the necessary blend of battle-tested baseball expertise combined with a selfless, altruistic streak that has continually led him down the charitable path. Cole began his playing career at Pierce College in Washington State before transferring to William Penn University in the big city of Oskaloosa, Iowa. Shaun excelled as the always attractive hard-throwing-lefty and earned a full baseball scholarship to play at the Central Iowa powerhouse. For his undergraduate degree he studied Education and earned a Bachelor of Arts in 2004, setting the table for a career in combining the two things he loved - baseball and education. Shaun Cole’s first role off the playing field was spent with Tacoma Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League. Cole showed a penchant for administrative work and spent his time with the Seattle Mariners Triple-A squad assisting the General Manager for Baseball Operations. Shaun had both the baseball acumen and the added benefit of throwing left handed, providing both a smart, analytical brain in the front office as well as good batting practice for hitters before they faced an opposing southpaw. This blend of administrative and on-field work helped to further enhance Cole’s baseball education, continuing to perfect his knowledge on the art of pitching with the Rainier’s pitching coach Dwight Bernard. Even if he wasn’t aware, these

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

powerhouse, University of Arizona as an assistant for the baseball program. He did this in conjunction with the University of Washington through which he was earning his Master in Education with a focus on Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership. It was a focus that would seem almost pre-ordained by the time Cole would find his way to Home Field for Champions. Cole bolstered his intra-organizational communication skills by acting as a liaison between the baseball team and other members of the Arizona brass in other departments.

Shaun Cole posing with his freshly awarded College Pitching Coach of the Year Award from 2012

rap sessions would prove instrumental in the next steps of Cole’s young career. Cole took his experience both in and out of the front office and bartered it into a short stint with the Edmonds Community College in Lynnwood, Washington, only a few miles from his hometown. Through Cole’s focus on commitment and discipline Edmonds made it all the way to and won the NWAACC World Series in 2008. Cole’s focus was primarily on pitching, including the implementation of proper mechanics, development of arm strength and overall cardiovascular health. It wasn’t until Shaun Cole joined the perennial

It wasn’t until 2010 that Shaun Cole really started to hit his stride as a pitching coach. Despite the championship he was a part of at Edmonds, Cole had never been apart of something so dynamic and so massively successfully as what he experienced at the University of Arizona. Not only was he now displaying his growing expertise on a national stage but he was quickly transforming the entire pitching staff for the Wildcats. As he transitioned to a more hands-on role with the pitchers and eventually the full-time pitching coach by the time the season has ended.

By the time that Shaun Cole was ready to leave the University of Arizona following the 2013 season, he had Developed and guided three of the most successful pitching staffs in school history; winning 121 games, including 25 complete games and 1,324 strikeouts with a significant decrease in bases on balls. By the end of his tenure at Arizona, Shaun Cole was a highly sought after pitching guru and player development expert who had a penchant for vastly improving organizations once he entered them. His administrative chops and proven pitching pedigree led him to be chosen as the Director for the USA National 18U team.

• Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

Shaun Cole doing what he does best - offering hands on pitching advice to a lucky Wildcats hurler in 2012.

Cole immediately made his presence known by shifting the focus slightly to help create a pipeline of younger players in the freshman in sophomore class. The idea was to get the most talented underclassmen in the country to come and test their mettle against the best and most dominant upperclassman. “One area that USA baseball has really focused on has been the junior class going into their senior year. The top high school players in the country.” Cole said of how things were done before he came along, “The year we were going to Japan, 2015, the sophomore class was very strong. So we had a lot of good options in the sophomore group. The thought process in the and the selection of the 108 players [For the 18U team] was to bring in as many of the talented sophomore players as we could to create a pipeline for the following year and years after that for the national team” Like any effective leader, Cole was simultaneously trying to put the best product on the field now, while also keeping his options open and plentiful for the future. But, like any good

manager, he was ultimately focused on choosing the best players that could help the team win at the most consistent clip. That included taking talent and ability into account a little bit more than age. “Through the process of the Tournament of Stars, the underclassmen had outperformed some of the junior class and some of us, as a group, rolled the dice on some of the younger guys and they continued to perform at high levels” Cole said of the mentality that went into his roster building, “I kind of stepped out on a limb and said we’re going to group of these guys: Nick Pratto, Jordan Butler, Hunter Greene. The other reason for selecting the handful of those guys is because of their ability to pitch and play a position and when you’re going into international competition those rosters are 20 man rosters so... it just creates a depth to those roster. So that's where those guys really stood out. Not only did they perform at really high levels but they added value to the roster by playing multiple positions.” While many chastised the decision saying that

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

it was based on the wrong criteria, Cole just mainly shrugged and insisted that all the doubters simply watch the young men that he chose to be out there. Not only did each of the young men he mentioned perform at an incredibly high level but the team as a whole played so well that they ended up taking home the gold medal in Osaka, Japan that summer. “I don’t know the history of every national team roster that's been put together but it was a little bit out of the box to have that large of a number of underclassmen playing for that elite level national team.” Cole said of backlash he received, “I don’t know if that created controversy or if it just had some people saying ‘wow, you’re taking a lot of young guys.’ We just put together the best team possible and in the end that obviously showed when we won gold in Japan and a lot of young guys performed in key roles on that team.”

gether the best team possible. Those guys all performed at high levels and now you're seeing how some of these guys turned out in the draft [and college.]” Cole said of his elite underclassmen, “Nick Pratto was a first rounder (Kansas City, 14th overall), Hunter Greene was a [first round] pick in the draft (Cincinnati, 2nd overall). Jordan Butler is performing at a high level at the University of Florida out of there bullpen right now (37 k’s in 34.0 IP, as of this writing). Those guys were all justified why they made that team.”

Not only was Cole vindicated on a macro scale by the way his assembled team showed out in Osaka, but on an individual scale, the underclassmen he chose quickly proved to be some of the best talent anywhere - at any age.

Shortly after winning gold in 2015, Cole took on a new role and fulfilled a lifelong dream by taking a position as Coordinator of Player Development with the San Diego Padres. By taking on this role he was shouldering the responsibility of having a hand in nearly all aspects of baseball operations, scouting and player development department. This new position had Cole wearing several different hats and using nearly every one of his carefully honed tools to make sure that the Padres we’re seeing the most effective and efficient player development possible.

“At the end of the day it was our goal to put to-

Cole would travel all over the country for the

• Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

Padres in an attempt to cross-check all of the prospects that were on the draft board during the summer. This included flying to different meetings, pre-draft workouts and personal evaluation that would play an enormous role in determining just whose number would be called on Draft Night. In addition to a heavy scouting workload, Cole also assumed the role of pitching coach for the Tri-City Dust Devils. A short-season Class-A minor league affiliate for the Padres playing in the Northwest League. Cole managed to impressively balance his responsibilities to a tune of one of the top-2 pitching staffs in the entire Northwest League. He would also spend a year at the helm of the 2017 Arizona League Padres, a Rookie-ball affiliate for the Padres that is reserved for fleshing out some of the organizations most promising prospects. The organization valued Shaun Cole’s leadership and baseball-IQ so highly that he was tasked with acting as a sort of quasi-caretaker for everything Padres baseball during spring training. He would also polish off those liaison skills he perfected at Arizona by working as the conduit for communications between top Padres brass and the various minor league directors, grounds crew, medical staff and strength coaches. Cole was also integral in setting up the Padres Dominican Baseball Academy on the tiny caribbean island. He worked closely with direc-

tor Jeremy Rodriguez in establishing what he called “a scaled down college campus.” Not only did he help maintain the major league quality of the fields and equipment but he also oversaw all of the different educational opportunities that were presented to the young athletes when they were accepted into the academy. There were people coming in to teach players about basic finances, balancing a checkbook and how to properly take notes while in a classroom. The Academy continues to bring in high-level talent for the Padres and through the refinement of the social programs, have also led to dozens of smarter and better prepared young men than before it’s inception. Through the work he has performed in the Dominican Republic and in nearly every corner of the United States, Shaun Cole has undoubtedly ran on a love for the game of baseball and a work ethic that is second to none in the industry. Through those experiences, Cole admits to become fatigued over all of the pay-for-play aspects of amateur baseball as had repeatedly questioned the way that opportunities are handed out amongst the less fortunate. It was through these confrontations that Shaun Cole finds himself on the precipice of once again changing the status quo. One of the reasons I’ve come on board with Home Field for Champions is you see the demographics that don’t get to perform at these major showcases” Cole said of the state of

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

Shaun Cole cradling the massive National Championship Trophy in Omaha shortly after the Arizona Wildcats won the 2012 College World Series - the school's fourth such championship.

amateur baseball, “These guys that are left out are just as talented as the guys playing in these events but they just don’t have the resources or the people in their corner selecting them or giving them the info to help them get to those platform. It's A very small, elite number of players that get to play in these events.” Like the majority of the time he has spent in baseball, Cole is not content to let things lie where they may. “So how do we get to where the major universities are able to see everybody across the country that has the ability to play at those schools?” Cole said, “and how do we bridge that gap between the larger travel teams and the larger showcases to where the kids that aren’t being seen or don’t have the opportunities - are given those the opportunities. An organization like Home field for Champions and the Aces

program in Chicago, how do we give them more functionality and more support to connect them with these larger entities to give these kids more opportunities?” As Home Field for Champions continues to bring on talented, curious and fearless individuals like Shaun Cole, the answer to that final question will continue to clarify. Adding someone like Shaun Cole to the mix in order to feed off of all of the enthusiasm and experience he brings to the table is part of the fundamentals of Home Field for Champions and the mission that guides the organization. As long as Cole and other baseball leaders are focused on providing the closest thing to equality of opportunity as possible for young ballplayers, Home Field for Champions will continue to pursue the mission of creating future leaders from the youth of today.

• Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

HERE IS A LOOK AT THE TOP 13 OLDEST BALL PARKS IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES When SunTrust Park in Atlanta debuts tonight with an exhibition game against the Yankees, it will be the first new ballpark built in the Major Leagues since 2012. But it will be the 24th new ballpark built since 1989, as the era of retro ballparks and modernization continues unabated. Here is a look at all 30 Major League parks in use today, from oldest to newest.

ovation in 1934, including the insertion of a hand-operated scoreboard in the base of the left-field wall. The current Red Sox ownership group, led by John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino, took over in 2001 and made a series of additions and renovations throughout the park, most notably the addition of “Monster Seats” atop the left-field wall. The changes increased the overall seating capacity by nearly 4,000 seats to its current total of 37,731.

Fenway Park (1912) – Famous for its 37-foothigh Green Monster left-field wall and other idiosyncratic dimensions, Fenway Park is the oldest and one of the smallest ballparks currently in use in the Major Leagues. Designed by James McLaughlin, Fenway opened the same week the Titanic sunk in 1912 and underwent a major ren-

Wrigley Field (1914) – The oldest ballpark in the National League, Wrigley Field was originally named Weeghman Park and Cubs Park before gum manufacturer William Wrigley re-named it after his company in 1927. Originally designed by architect Zachary Taylor Davis, Wrigley Field underwent more than a name change in 1927, as

Oldest to the Newest... By Josh Citron

Fenway Park

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

Wrigley Field

CLICK HERE

TO WATCH THE VIDEO OF WHAT WE ARE ALL ABOUT

• Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

Dodger Stadium

the grandstand was moved west – on rollers, no less! – and the upper deck was added in a major renovation. Wrigley’s most iconic feature, the ivy growing on the outfield walls, wasn’t added until 1934. But perhaps the most coveted feature in Wrigley Field history will be added in the next two weeks: its first-ever World Series championship flag. Dodger Stadium (1962) – One of three ballparks to remain from the Major League’s West Coast expansion in the late 1950s and ‘60s, Dodger Stadium remains among the jewels in baseball, recently hosting the finals of the World Baseball Classic. Designed by Col. Emil Prager, Dodger Stadium was built in Chavez Ravine, overlooking the city of Los Angeles. It is the only ballpark in the Major Leagues to have not increased its seating capacity over its lifetime, holding roughly 56,000. Because of the location of its construction, a school was left standing on the site and was buried. It is currently located under a parking area to the west of the ballpark.

Angel Stadium of Anaheim (1966) – Originally known as Anaheim Stadium, the facility was built as a baseball-only ballpark in the mid-1960s, but became a multi-sport facility in 1980, when the Rams of the NFL began a 14-year run at “The Big A.” Designed by Noble W. Herzberg, the ballpark was originally constructed for the Angels of the American League, who had been playing at Dodger Stadium since its inception in 1962. The inclusion of the Rams in 1980 led to a 23,000-seat expansion effort. After the Rams left for St. Louis in 1996, Angel Stadium was renovated back to a baseball-only facility by its new owners, the Disney Co., featuring an elaborate rock formation and geysers beyond the outfield area. Oakland Coliseum (1966) – While the Raiders have come and gone, returned and now are leaving again, the A’s have been a mainstay at the Coliseum since 1968 in the facility originally designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Because of its dual purpose as a multi-sport stadium that was intended primarily as a football stadium, the Coliseum holds the distinction of containing the largest foul territory of any ballpark in the Major Leagues. Until the Raiders

Angel Stadium

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

Oakland Coliseum

leave for Las Vegas in 2019, it remains the only facility in American sports currently to host a Major League and NFL team at the same time. Kauffman Stadium (1973) – Like Dodger Stadium in the National League, Kauffman Stadium holds the distinction of being a baseball-only facility built in an era of multisport ballparks across the country. Originally Royals Stadium, it was built alongside the existing Arrowhead Stadium, which hosts the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL. Kauffman Stadium is also best known for its distinctive waterfall display beyond the right-field fence. Although a baseballonly facility, the ballpark, designed by the firm of Kivett and Myers, betrays the look of many of the concrete, cookiecutter stadiums that popped up throughout the late 1960s and ‘70s.

Leagues to feature a retractable roof, which opens and closes via an intricate rail design. Designed by architect Rod Robbie, the facility is located at the base of the CN Tower, enhancing its futuristic look. Other than the paneled, retractable roof, Rogers Centre’s most famous feature is a hotel contained inside the ballpark, located beyond the outfield walls, including rooms that look out directly into the field of play. Tropicana Field (1990) – The dome, which didn’t host Major League Baseball until the expanKauffman Stadium

Rogers Centre (1989) – Originally known as SkyDome, Rogers Centre ushered in the modern era of stadium construction and became the first facility in the Major • Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

Camden Yards, which set the standard for ballpark design for the next 25 years. Guaranteed Rate Field’s design lacked the charm of ballparks to follow and underwent a series of renovations in the 2000s to rectify issues that plagued the facility from its inception.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards

sion Devil Rays began play in 1998, has long been derided as one of the worst baseball facilities in the league. Tropicana Field is plagued by many irregularities, none more confounding than a series of catwalks over the playing field that occasionally come into play when batted balls get hung up in their apparatus. Guaranteed Rate Field (1991) – The replacement for Comiskey Park on Chicago’s south side and known for much of its history as U.S. Cellular Field, it had the misfortune of being designed by Populous the year before the firm broke through with the design of Baltimore’s

Oriole Park at Camden Yards (1992) – Camden Yards broke the mold for ballpark design and ushered in the era of retro ballparks that combined modern amenities with the look and feel of vintage ballparks from the early 20th century. Designed by Populous and its main consultant Janet Marie Smith, the park helped revitalize Baltimore’s Inner Harbor area, with the ballpark nestling into a neighborhood and using an abandoned warehouse along the outfield perimeter as a key visual attraction. Its use of wrought iron, seats close to the field and low outfield walls helped conjure a nostalgic image of pre-WWII baseball, which added immensely to its appeal.

Globe Life Field

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

Coors Field

Globe Life Field (1994) – The Ballpark in Arlington followed Camden Yards in the new trend of retro ballparks. Designed by David M. Schwartz Architects, The Ballpark took cues from several classic ballparks, with a right field porch like old Tiger Stadium, a manual scoreboard like Fenway, arched windows like Comiskey and a parapet ringing the upper deck like Yankee Stadium. One feature that was an original concept was a large grassy area in center field that served as the hitters’ background. Located not far from Dallas, the area was quickly dubbed “The Grassy Knoll.” Progressive Field (1994) – After decades of playing in Municipal Stadium, aka “The Mistake by the Lake,” the Indians moved into Jacobs Field and ushered in a new era of Indians baseball with one of the most popular new ballparks of the decade. Another brainchild of Populous, the park featured a mini-Green Monster in left field, varied outfield distances and fence heights and a distinctive set of vertical light towers, which preserved a view of the downtown skyline. The new park changed the fortunes of the franchise, as the Indians, long a cellar-dweller in the American League Central, reached the World Series in two of the park’s first three full seasons.

mate setting that were hallmarks of Camden Yards and the Ballpark in Arlington, the initial season at Mile High Stadium in 1993, which attracted 4.5 million fans, caused Populous to add an upper deck, pushing capacity to over 50,000, the largest of Populous’s retro ballpark’s. The first ballpark to be installed with an underground heating system, Coors Field proved an archeologist’s dream, as several intact dinosaur fossils were unearthed during construction. Because of the high altitude and thinner air in Denver, the outfield fences at Coors are the deepest in the majors, in an attempt to keep the ball from flying out of the park for home runs. According to every pitcher who has ever played there, it didn’t work. Chase Field (1998) – Although not the first domed ballpark in the Majors, nor the first ballpark with a retractable roof, Chase Field made history by being the first domed ballpark with a retractable roof that also deployed a real grass surface. Originally Bank One Ballpark – affectionately known as “The BOB,” Chase Field began the second wave of retractable roof ballparks in the United States, following the critical success of Toronto’s SkyDome a decade earlier. Designed by Ellerbe Becket, Chase Field was fan friendly in a way only a ballpark in Phoenix could be, with a large swimming pool area erected past the right-field fence. Chase Field was also the first of just two new ballparks to bring back the dirt strip between the pitcher’s mound and home plate, a nod to the layout of infields in the pre-WWII era. Progressive Field

Coors Field (1995) – Another Populous MLB project was erected in Denver, producing another highly acclaimed retro ballpark for the expansion Colorado Rockies. While the initial design was more the same inti• Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

DICK ENBERG’S GREATEST INTERVIEW - FROM TED WILLIAMS

COME HERE , MEAT! TURN ON THAT TAPE RECORDER! By Jeff Haney The great thing about baseball is that it has a rich history of facts, statistics and stories. When I

treat just to watch him take batting practice as he would spray line drives to designated areas of the field and then into the seats - almost on command. He rarely fouled any balls off, and didn’t miss many either. Everything was a line drive - he was a natural. Known as the ‘Kid’, Ted Williams, according to legendary sportscaster and fan, Dick Enberg, said of Williams... “he was tough, profane, acerbic and cantankerous.” He called the media the ‘Knights of the Keyboard’, and most of the writers stayed away or walked on eggshells around him. As a writer, why would you want to take abuse?

Dick Enberg, Voice of the San Diego Padres

think of some of the news articles and stories about the game, I think of the writers and players and the on-again, off-again, love- hate relationship that some of them have had with the media.

Dick Enberg didn’t plan on taking any abuse. He had a job to do.

Although Derek Jeter has been one of my favorite players over the past 20 years, I’m sure reporters find him pretty ‘Vanilla’ or plain. He always seems to be very even and fair to all when he speaks and he is not one to cause controversial topics for the media to salivate on. Then there’s Ted Williams (1918 - 2002). Considered one of the greatest hitters to play the game, Ted has been known as baseball’s best hitter since he was the last player to hit over .400 (.406) in a single season back in 1941 - a feat still unmatched in the modern era. His on-base percentage of .481 is still a staggering statistic. From the stories that I have read, it was a real

Young, handsome and tall - the Red Sox Slugger was an imposing figure

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

player who went into broadcasting. During his first season in 1969 as the Angel’s play-by-play announcer, Dick always did a 15 minute pre-game show or interview and this time he wanted to approach the unapproachable - the ‘Kid’. Ted was in town on a west coast swing as manager of the Washington Senators and Dick was determined to get an interview from his boyhood idol. Enberg knew that the same old questons would bore Williams, so he did some research and found out that the great slugger was a star pitcher in high school and pitched the 11th and 12th innings of a 12-1 Boston loss to the Tigers in 1941 - Ted’s second year. Dick knew that this might get William’s attention for the pre-game interview! Dick shown here in his college ‘diggs’ at San Fernando State

One of my favorite baseball stories is about Enberg, the former San Fernando Valley State

Enberg bounced down into the dugout where Williams was watching his players on the field and he introduced himself and started to talk to Ted, but the 50 year old former player barely

• Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

Enberg, shown early in his career, and...

...announcing in the broadcast booth at Dodger Stadium

responded. Dick was hoping that Williams was paying a little bit of attention when he said - ‘I’d like to talk to you about the time you pitched against the Tigers in 1940’. Well - Ted turned to Dick, wrapped his arm around him and said ‘COME HERE, MEAT! TURN ON THAT TAPE RECORDER!’ Williams talked and talked and according to Enberg - he described every detail, pitch, and who he struck out. Ted told him that he faced the Tiger slugger

Rudy York who hit 33 homers that season - and he claimed Williams threw him a spitball. From that moment on, Enberg had earned the respect of Williams and whenever their paths crossed years down the line - Ted always gave Dick the interviews that nobody else could get. Ted always remembered him. Enberg considered it a special honor to be recognized by his boyhood idol. A little research and preparation gave Enberg the interview of a lifetime.

There are some players today who don’t know who Ted Williams was - but maybe they have seen this famous metal advertising plaque from the 1940’s - It hangs in many baseball caves!

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

• Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

TO ADVERTISE IN OUR NEXT ISSUE OR FOR MORE INFO...

ALL PRO SPORTS ACADEMY TRAINING CENTERS, BATTING CAGES AND MUCH MORE!

HELMET PLEASE H ere are the facts, just the facts, Jack!

KEEPING HYDRATED keep your player healthy, happy and playing well

CONTACT: ERIC AT 310-953-9668 OR INFO@JACK9BASEBALLMAGAZINE.COM

EQUIPMENT REVIEW 62

HEAVYSWING OUR CONCEPT Introducing the Breakthrough Training Concept that Makes You a Better Hitter. Since being introduced in early 2011, our training bats have already helped change the way many baseball and softball players and coaches approach their hitting and practice routines. We designed our system with one simple goal: give hitters of all ages and skill levels a safe, smart and scientifically sound way to train, condition and create their perfect swing. Unlike traditional barrel-weighted products (donuts, bat sleeves, etc.) that can disrupt a batter’s swing by pulling their arms away from their body to create a “casting effect,” HeavySwing’s patented handle-weighted training bats are specially engineered to promote the proper swing plane and develop solid mechanics. They help keep your hands “inside the ball,” providing effective weight resistance training without altering your natural swing. The result: lightning-quick bat speed, better balance and fence-busting power.

THE HEAVYSWING STORY The Origins of HeavySwing We believed that there was a total disconnect between the way players are taught to hit by coaches (i.e., keeping the hands "inside the ball") and the training equipment available on the market. For this reason, we decided to develop our initial idea with the goal of giving players a new and better way to train.

Taking the Concept to Spring Training Based on the initial concept and design for a handle-weighted on-deck circle bat, the first HeavySwing prototype was engineered and built in early-2011. This model was brought to spring training in March 2011 for introduction and testing with the best in the game. Not knowing what to expect, we showed the HeavySwing to several pro coaches and players in Florida and Arizona. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive, with coaches and players placing orders for the product on the spot. Baseball pros and hitting coaches immediately validated the HeavySwing concept and recognized it as a significant advancement in baseball training equipment.

www.jack9baseballmagazine.com

From the Drawing Board to the World Series in Less Than 10 Months

Bringing the HeavySwing Concept to Players Everywhere

HeavySwing first appeared on major league and amateur baseball diamonds across the U.S. in 2011. The quick adoption of the product and positive response indicated that we were on to something special. In just 10 short months, the HeavySwing went from the drawing board to the on-deck circle of the 2011 World Series, used by Series MVP David Freese.

After the company’s phenomenal success with professional teams, we’ve launched a full training system that includes handle-weighted on-deck products, handle-weighted one-hand trainers, and handle-weighted bats for live hitting drills with models available for youth, adult, softball and pro players.

• Providing Life Changing Experiences Through Sports •

CLICK HERE TO READ THE WHOLE STORY