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WBT

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  1. There's going to be an American Masters about Ted Williams.  This should be good.

    Ted-Williams-fishing.jpg

    Spoiler

    PBS’ American Masters series is one of the treasures of American television. It has been going for more than 30 years (and has won 28 Emmys). There have been more than 250 American masters celebrated and studied through intimate documentaries, from Johnny Carson to Arthur Miller, Jimi Hendrix to Georgia O’Keefe, Julia Child to James Dean and Norman Rockwell to John Lennon, who was certainly a master and just as certainly not American.

    On Monday, July 23, for the first time, American Masters will feature a male athlete.

    That seems odd, no? In three decades it has not found one male athlete worthy of being called an American Master? (To be fair, there have been two women athletes profiles: Billie Jean King and Althea Gibson). It seems absurdly overdue.

    But say this: When the people behind the show finally picked an American Master male athlete, they picked the right one: You will love Nick Davis’ documentary: Ted Williams. “The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived.”

    The quote-marks around “Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived” are important to Davis. The point of the documentary is not to say that Williams actually was the greatest hitter who ever lived (though, I think he probably was, and I suspect Nick might too). They represent the outsized ambitions of a poor kid from San Diego who longed for nothing less than to be the greatest hitter, the greatest fisherman, the greatest pilot who ever lived.

    “Few men try for best ever,” Richard Ben Cramer famously began his Esquire story “What Do You Think of Ted Williams Now?” “and Ted Williams is one of those.”

    Davis’ documentary is fantastic. It is both a reminder of what it is to be larger than life … and an intimate portrait of a baseball player driven by his demons.

    “Before I started, all I knew about Ted Williams, really, is what everyone seems to know,” he says. “That he’s a jerk, right? That’s what everybody always says about Ted Williams. So for me, the idea was to get closer, to see what drove him. And when you get closer, you find that, yes, he was a jerk. But he also was immensely generous. And he really was the artist. For Ted Williams the art of it all, whether it was hitting or fishing, was everything.”

    Davis found that fishing is such a fascinating insight into Williams because most people view fishing as an opportunity to get outside, enjoy the sun and fresh air, maybe talk with friends. This was not how Ted Williams fished, to say the least. And he had no patience whatsoever for any fishing companion who fished like that. It was creating the perfect bait (Williams’ daughter Claudia talks about the lengths her father would go, including surveying a fish’s stomach). It was the effort for the perfect cast. One of the great parts of the documentary is when Davis spoke to Wade Boggs, one of the great hitters of his time and now a devoted fisherman.

    “When someone swings at the first pitch,” Boggs says, “you know he doesn’t fish.”

    Davis caught two amazing breaks during the filming of the documentary, two cool things that should make it even more joyous to watch. The first happened when he was looking for someone to play Ted Williams in the close-up recreations that he had in mind. His thought was that even though there was great footage of Williams, his hitting genius demanded an effort to get just a little bit closer. He intended to film a hitter with one of those incredible cameras that almost put you inside the swing. And he thought that he would ask the Dodgers’ Corey Seager.

    “My thought was Seager is the All-American hitter, right?” he says. “I mean, when you think of classic left-handed hitters, doesn’t Corey Seager come to mind?”

    One problem: He went to watch Seager video and realized that, classic as it might be, Corey Seager’s swing looks absolutely nothing at all like that of Ted Williams. In truth, nobody looks like Williams, not even Williams disciples like Cincinnati’s Joey Votto. Ted Williams was a string bean, and his swing so recognizable, and Davis began to worry that no one would fit the bill.

    And then he was told about a kid who was in Class AA who some were saying bore a resemblance to The Splendid Splinter. He was tall and lanky and when Davis first saw him swing a bat, he knew immediately: He was perfect.

    One problem: What kid needs to have the burden of being compared to Ted Williams before he even gets to the big leagues? Davis was told he could use the kid, but he had to keep it a secret. He couldn’t put his name in the credits. He couldn’t tell anyone. Davis agreed.

    And then comes the big finish: During spring training, this kid came to Astros camp. And even though nobody knew about the movie and nobody knew his role in it, everyone started calling the kid, “Ted.” It was that obvious.

    “He’s going to go by ‘Ted’ from here on out,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “They got him a nice nameplate.”

    The nice nameplate was a black marker that crossed out his real name, Kyle Tucker, and replaced it with, “TED.”

    So, yeah, now Davis can tell everyone that it’s Kyle Tucker in the movie.

    The second break is even more remarkable. Ted Williams is known for many things. He’s known for being the last .400 hitter. He’s known for being the only American Leaguer to win two Triple Crowns. He’s known for his extraordinary flying in the Korean War. He’s known for his revolutionary book, “The Science of Hitting,” which remains a bible for hitters today.

    And he’s known for the last swing — a home run in his last at-bat. It was the subject of John Updike’s classic story “Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu.” Williams hit the home run and then refused to tip his cap to the crowd. That was Williams’ way. Teammates begged him to go out to just acknowledge the screaming fans. He would not. As Updike wrote, “Gods do not answer letters.”

    Well, there’s a pretty famous surviving film of that shot, and that’s what Davis was going to use. He looked relentlessly for another, but there was no other. And then, just as he was getting to wrapping up the film, he got an email, completely out of the blue, from a guy who said something to the effect of, “Hey, I was an art student in Boston then, and I cut class that day and took some color film of that game. Would that be of interest?”

    “Would that be of interest?” Davis says laughing. “Um, yeah.”

    The footage is extraordinary. The thing about Ted Williams: “The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived,” is that, yes, it is impossible to sum up a life as big as his. Baseball star. War hero. Philanthropist. Master Fisherman. It was Ted Williams who, perhaps more than anyone, opened the door for Negro Leaguers to get into the Hall of Fame when he made sure during his own Hall of Fame acceptance speech to say that Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson belonged there with him. That was just a minor key in his life.

    But Davis isn’t trying to sum up a life. He’s trying to get us just a bit closer to the artist. At one point, Claudia talks about her relationship with her father, which obviously wasn’t always easy. To get as close to perfection as Ted Williams got, there are prices to pay. The documentary is about the greatness and the price.

     

  2. Our boy is going to be a movie star...

    https://theathletic.com/435615/2018/07/17/posnanski-how-do-you-sum-up-the-greatest-hitter-who-ever-lived/

    Spoiler

    PBS’ American Masters series is one of the treasures of American television. It has been going for more than 30 years (and has won 28 Emmys). There have been more than 250 American masters celebrated and studied through intimate documentaries, from Johnny Carson to Arthur Miller, Jimi Hendrix to Georgia O’Keefe, Julia Child to James Dean and Norman Rockwell to John Lennon, who was certainly a master and just as certainly not American.

    On Monday, July 23, for the first time, American Masters will feature a male athlete.

    That seems odd, no? In three decades it has not found one male athlete worthy of being called an American Master? (To be fair, there have been two women athletes profiles: Billie Jean King and Althea Gibson). It seems absurdly overdue.

    But say this: When the people behind the show finally picked an American Master male athlete, they picked the right one: You will love Nick Davis’ documentary: Ted Williams. “The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived.”

    ......

    Davis caught two amazing breaks during the filming of the documentary, two cool things that should make it even more joyous to watch. The first happened when he was looking for someone to play Ted Williams in the close-up recreations that he had in mind. His thought was that even though there was great footage of Williams, his hitting genius demanded an effort to get just a little bit closer. He intended to film a hitter with one of those incredible cameras that almost put you inside the swing. And he thought that he would ask the Dodgers’ Corey Seager.

    “My thought was Seager is the All-American hitter, right?” he says. “I mean, when you think of classic left-handed hitters, doesn’t Corey Seager come to mind?”

    One problem: He went to watch Seager video and realized that, classic as it might be, Corey Seager’s swing looks absolutely nothing at all like that of Ted Williams. In truth, nobody looks like Williams, not even Williams disciples like Cincinnati’s Joey Votto. Ted Williams was a string bean, and his swing so recognizable, and Davis began to worry that no one would fit the bill.

    And then he was told about a kid who was in Class AA who some were saying bore a resemblance to The Splendid Splinter. He was tall and lanky and when Davis first saw him swing a bat, he knew immediately: He was perfect.

    One problem: What kid needs to have the burden of being compared to Ted Williams before he even gets to the big leagues? Davis was told he could use the kid, but he had to keep it a secret. He couldn’t put his name in the credits. He couldn’t tell anyone. Davis agreed.

    And then comes the big finish: During spring training, this kid came to Astros camp. And even though nobody knew about the movie and nobody knew his role in it, everyone started calling the kid, “Ted.” It was that obvious.

    “He’s going to go by ‘Ted’ from here on out,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “They got him a nice nameplate.”

    The nice nameplate was a black marker that crossed out his real name, Kyle Tucker, and replaced it with, “TED.”

    So, yeah, now Davis can tell everyone that it’s Kyle Tucker in the movie.

     

    • Like 2
  3. I don't buy it but people make the connection that the shift forces guys into trying to elevate/hit more HRs and that approach leads to more strikeouts.

    I think the cause is more that the ball being more juiced led to more guys trying to hit homeruns

  4. This is good...

    Sarris: Ten players explain the adjustments that made them All-Stars

    Spoiler

    The All-Stars weren’t born this way, though that would be some kind of story. Instead, they shined in fits and starts, dominating at times and scuffling at others, as they made the journey from school through the minors and into the majors. They picked up knowledge along the way, no matter the shape of their baseball upbringing. Tonight, we’ll see them at the top of their games.

    That makes it a great time to ask them about the journey that got them here.

    It’s a crazy thing, All-Star week. Every room is bursting at the seams with prodigious talent in every respect: the best in television, print, and digital media push each around to get a chance to speak to the best players in baseball. So we didn’t get every All-Star this week, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn a little from the men on both sides of the ball tonight.

    So, you’re an All-Star. What was the major adjustment that got you to this moment? 

    The National League

    Lorenzo Cain, Brewers

    I’ve just been trying to improve as a player as I’ve gotten older, trying to improve my game as much as I can. Since I’ve been in Milwaukee, I’ve been more of a leadoff type guy, so I’m trying to be more of an on-base guy this year, that’s a little different than I’m used to since I hit second or third in KC.

    Season Team O-Swing% Swing% BB% OBP
    2017 Royals 31.7% 49.3% 8.4% .363
    2018 Brewers 20.9% 40.3% 13.4% .393

    Cain has been a new man with the Brewers this year, focusing on getting on base and not reaching at bad pitches. 

    Whatever they ask to do, I just try to be the best at that, if getting on base is something they want me to do, I just try best I can. The power comes from me focusing on hitting line drives. I need to go out there and do a little bit of everything, stealing bases, get on base, and I’ll hit a home run every once in a while.

    Jeremy Jeffress, Brewers

    When I started learning that two-seamer back in 2013, I just learned it and I started attacking the zone with it, understanding that movement messes with the hitters. If I stick to that, I have confidence in it.

      ERA BB/9 Four-Seam% Sinker%
    Before 2013 4.89 7.0 72% 5%
    Since 2.86 3.2 18% 52%

    The sinker gave Jeffress the ability to aim for the middle and let the movement take the pitch to the edges. His walk rate thanked him for it.

    That’s what literally drives my attitude on the mound is to be stubborn down, and be confident, and attack the hitter. If I think middle think down and let it happen… hitters can’t stand movement.

    Nolan Arenado, Rockies

    Getting in my legs, not trying to lunge. Too much body movement is a problem for me, that’s when I get into trouble hitting, is when I move too much.

    An overactive Arenado lunged at pitches in his rookie year.

    When I slow my body down, I can get my swing off and stay behind the ball and that’s usually when good things happen.

    There’s still movement, but there’s less of it, and Arenado now uses his legs better for more power. 

    It was in the big leagues, after my rookie year, I was lunging so much and getting jammed a lot and getting beat, and I thought I couldn’t continue to get beat like that. that’s when I realized I really had to slow it down and really back leg the baseball and really drive the ball, and that’s what I started to do.

      SLG GB/FB O-Swing%
    Rookie Year 0.405 1.26 41.5%
    Since 0.565 0.81 34.1%

    Arenado stopped lunging at pitches outside of the zone, used his legs more, and his power exploded. 

    Scooter Gennett, Reds

    The biggest thing that stands out is just being more relaxed with my hands, not being tight. I relate it to boxing. Now I’m thinking of throwing a jab — that’s quicker, that’s more accurate — not a big power punch. That’s how I was in the past. I’d get real tight, and my swing was long, and I’d have to cheat a little more because I had to start my swing earlier because it’s slower.

    In 2013, Gennett was tight and had to swing earlier because of it. 

    That relates to swinging at bad pitches and not getting myself into good counts to get good pitches. Just being more relaxed and knowing that I don’t have to start my swing so early.

    In 2018, a freer and looser Gennett could take his time. Watch his hands move before the pitch comes in. 

    You’re talking about a split second to make that decision. I haven’t done much of the launch angle stuff. It’s really hard to hit, hitting a round ball with a round bat. I just want to hit it hard.

      O-Swing% Swing% SLG
    2013-15 41.5% 54.8% 0.424
    2016-18 34.2% 50.3% 0.482

    The biggest change in Scooter’s arsenal has been better plate discipline… and the resulting power, of course.

    Mike Foltynewicz, Braves

    Mechanics-wise, I cleaned it up. It’s not as aggressive as it was before. I used to take a big step back and then get into my motion.

    A huge step back before he started his delivery was part of all that velocity, but also that wildness for Foltynewicz in Houston. 

    But now it’s a little step back so my eyes are not going all over the place, and they’re stationed in one place. That’s been huge for me to stay quiet.

    The slider has been a big pitch for me, I have a lot of confidence in it. I kinda brought it back in the ’16 season, because Houston kinda took it away from me and then I brought it back when I came here. It was hard for me to throw it over 85 mph, and then I’ve been playing with it over the past few years and getting the different grip down and throwing it different ways I’ve been getting a good feel for it.

    Smaller leg kick, less hair, and more slider velocity these days.

    It’s been a few years for me to figure it out, and it’s really hard to play with it in a big league game, but over the years I found a grip and a release point, and I have the confidence to throw it any count now. It’s been a long ways, but that pitch has been big for me this year.

      Slider% Slider Velo Slider Whiff%
    2015 14% 84.9 14.6%
    2018 26% 86.8 20.2%

    Folty has retained the same drop on his slider, but the pitch goes harder, and gets more whiffs… so he’s throwing it more. 

    The American League

    Charlie Morton, Astros

    You throw your best pitches more. I thought my best pitch was my sinker down and into the righty. They were convinced my best pitches were actually in locations that got swings and misses. I wasn’t used to doing that, I hadn’t had that approach, I had the attitude that I wanted to get you out in three pitches or less. Now if I get swings and misses, I feel like I’m doing the right thing and if I get a ground ball sometimes I wonder if I’m doing it right.

      GB% Whiff% K/9
    2008-2015 55.3% 7.7% 6.3
    2017-2018 50.7% 11.7% 10.7

    The tale of two Mortons: he used to get grounders, now he gets whiffs. 

    That manifested itself in the attitude when I have I’m pitching. Now I’m trying to throw hard, I’m trying to throw four-seamers, which I didn’t do before. Before, I would try to manipulate sinkers down in the zones. Now I’m just throwing. I’m throwing into areas into spots and locations that are more specific. Now I’m kind of a hybrid because I’m still throwing a lot of two-seamers and trying to make the ball run, but I’m also trying to throw four-seamers up in the zone. That’s the Astros’ analytics.

      CB% Two-Seamer Four-Seamer
    2008-2015 20% 49% 18%
    2018 30% 26% 31%

    Morton has really upped his curve and four-seamer usage over time with the Astros, as their analytics said he should. 

    Alex Bregman, Astros 

    One of the biggest things for me was learning who I was as a player. In college, I kinda wanted to be the guy that hit .400 and sprayed singles around the yard, and once I grew more and figured out what I could do and what I couldn’t on the baseball field, I decided I wanted to be a guy that hits the ball in the gaps, and tries to hit the ball over the fence.

    Time Batting Ave AB/HR XBH%
    College 0.336 39 33%
    Majors 0.282 25 44%

    Bregman hit for a higher batting average in college, but he hits homers (and extra-base hits) much more often now. 

    Swinging at strikes has been huge for me, hitting the ball on a line, not in the air, but on a line, and definitely not hitting ground balls. Trying to take all that into the equation along with not swinging at balls.

    BregmanSwing.png

    Bregman has slowly reached at pitches outside the zone (O-Swing%) less as his career has progressed, and his production (wOBA) has increased with it.

    Francisco Lindor, Indians 

    Better bats, better environments, better fields, and learning how to hit. The minor leagues are the minor leagues, it’s all about learning, it’s all about experience, it’s all about having more at-bats. In the big leagues, you have more experience behind you, and that’s when you start hitting for more power. It’s just a matter of understanding which pitches I can drive, and which pitches I won’t drive, and when I gotta take the base hit, when I gotta drive the ball.

    swingLindor.png

    Francisco Lindor started swinging at high fastballs more in 2017 (right) than he did in 2016 (left). His power surged accordingly. 

    My mechanics are the same, my swing is going to be the same swing from when I was eight, till my last at-bat.

    Blake Snell, Rays 

    I think it’s confidence. You gotta be in the zone, and confidence allowed me to do that. I’m aware of how good I am with pitching ability, the stuff that I had, so for me it was confidence to put it in the zone against good hitters. When you’re not ahead of these guys, that’s when you get in trouble, and that’s when they really hurt you. It’s more confidence in throwing my pitches in the zone, I knew they were good, but I didn’t throw them in the zone.

    Season Zone% Breaking Ball Ball%
    2017 41.7% 43%
    2018 46.0% 35%

    Blake Snell is throwing most of his pitches in the zone more often, but most notably his breaking balls are not called balls as much this year. 

    I was driven this offseason, and that thing was to throw strikes to get outs and go as deep as I could in the games, and what allowed me to do that was: Be in the zone. Once I started doing that, I started seeing success.

    Corey Kluber, Indians

    Having a fastball that I feel like I could command, I think that was the biggest thing for me. Having command of the fastball allows me to use the other pitches like I use to use them. To me, when I exclusively threw four-seamers, I didn’t throw my fastball for strikes much, or I left it in the hitting zone, so to speak, as opposed to really being able to throw quality strikes.

    I wasn’t necessarily seeking movement when I switched to throwing more two-seamers, it was just more a pitch I could command better. I could locate it to the sides of the plate and down better.

     

    • Like 1
  5. On 7/13/2018 at 9:27 AM, Kringelbert Fishtybuns said:
    Quote

    Indeed, when you ask people more accustomed to working on the Nascar Camping World Truck Series at Kentucky Speedway to manage coverage of the World Cup, you shouldn’t be surprised when the World Cup winds up looking and feeling like the Nascar Camping World Truck Series at Kentucky Speedway.

    seems about right

  6. 20 minutes ago, Gut Wagon said:

    Watching this format, j can’t help but think Gattis would hit about 35 dingers in that amount of time. 

    That would be fun.  He'd have to find a bp pitcher that could crank in chin high fastballs over and over

  7. 1 minute ago, achooloco said:

    Who is arguing that? You said masterful game, I disagreed and showed proof. No one disputing the 4 goals; one crap, one fine for what it was, two nice. They get trophy, it’s fine. But masterful? Disagree unless you have proof. I also submit a  goalie letting one in on a pass back for “non-masterful” play

    Prove their masterfulness!  Prove it!!

    • Like 2
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