Can One Player Carry A Baseball Team?

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Can One Player Carry A Baseball Team?
By Jim Bain

Anybody who seriously follows baseball, at one time or another, has heard the sports announcers remark something like, "If he gets hot, he can carry the team" or "When he's in the zone he can carry the load for the bullpen" or something similar. Is it possible for one player to carry a team?

In my opinion, yes and no, which probably has you shaking your head and thinking "Surprise, another yes and no answer." Well, for starters, are the sports announcers correct in what they're saying, one man can carry the entire team, and if they are, why are they correct?

Or are they just searching for something to say in order to fill the gap between commercial announcements, which is very difficult to believe, and are just blowing smoke knowing nobody will bother to challenge their statement? Let's look at some possibilities of the scenario and you venture your opinion as to whether the experts are in fact, experts.

As a reality check we must establish a few guidelines which to follow to establish a bit of creditability to this investigation.

1. One player can not hit for the other 8 players.
2. One player can not field for the other 8 players.
3. One player can not throw for the other 8 players.
4. One player can not catch for the other 8 players.

I must say, although we're only scratching the surface of the subject, thus far the sports announcers appear slanted a little towards the stupid side and this entire article seems to be a waste of time, and would be if it were not for one intangible.

One player can greatly affect the Emotional Health of a baseball team. There are many intangibles in baseball, as well as other sports, which exert a direct force, positive or negative on a team. Momentum, the Big MO, as they call it, is an example of such an intangible.

For instance, a team who is experiencing a dry spell of having runners scampering all over the base paths every inning, but fail to ever get the hit to drive them in can be quickly deflated, and for all practical purposes be defeated in the top of the first, by having a bases loaded situation and not be able to score 1 run.

On the other hand, should a player become hot, be in the zone, seeing the ball well, whatever or however you want to say it, drives a bases clearing double into the outfield gap, this changes the Entire Team.

A pitcher, veteran or rookie, who takes the mound and consistently pitches into the late innings, with many complete games and a low ERA, will change the attitude and confidence of the Entire Team when it's his day to pitch.

So can one player carry a team? Absolutely, by instilling confidence and energy into the team which would not be there if his efforts weren't present.

Can one player carry a team? Absolutely not, as it takes team work to win a baseball game at any level of competition.

Perhaps my "yes" and "no" answer makes a little bit more sense now.

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player, who since retiring has dedicated his life to teaching baseball to youth, shares his advice on running baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Bain


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Fun and Competitive Baseball Games That Help Young Players Develop Proper Fundamentals

Fun and Competitive Baseball Games That Help Young Players Develop Proper Fundamentals
By guest author: Brian Schofield

Young baseball players should be encouraged to get outside whenever possible to practice their baseball skills. Playing outside is great exercise and it builds hand-eye coordination which is crucial to playing baseball. Playing video games will not build the fundamentals young players need! Kids need to know that there are many baseball games they can compete in aside from an official game that requires 18 players and an umpire. This article explains some of the most classic baseball games kids can participate in with very few participants and in just about any environment.

Over the Line

In over the line, an imaginary line is determined on the field. One player is the pitcher and one player is the hitter. Each hitter gets three outs and nine innings are played. On most fields the infield dirt is decided to be the imaginary line. If a hit ball does not make it past the line, the batter is out. If the ball makes it past the line but doesn't roll to the fence, it is a single. If it rolls to the fence, it is a double and if it hits the fence on the fly, it is a triple. "Ghost runners" are used after each hit. The purpose of this game is to allow the hitter to hit, not strike him out. To make the game more interesting, add fielders to the mix and make the field smaller.

For example, if the hitter hits the ball to the right of center field it is an out. This forces the hitter to pull the ball and hit it over the line to be safe. By adding the fielder, any ball that is caught is an out. In one last twist, the fielder can field the ball cleanly and throw to the pitcher on the fly. If he throws the ball directly to the pitcher, the batter is out; however, if the ball bounces to the pitcher or the pitcher drops the ball, the batter is safe. No hitter can be called out on an error by the fielder. In the case of the sacrifice fly, the hitter must yell if the runner is going to tag up while the ball is in flight to the outfielder. If the fielder catches the ball and makes a clean throw to the pitcher on the fly, a double play occurs. If the throw doesn't make it to the pitcher, or isn't caught by the pitcher, the runner scores. Some of my favorite memories of playing this game are as an adult. It is often difficult to pull together enough people for a game so this is a great way to get your baseball fix with only a few people. Try it and you'll love it. Read more.

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