...And it's back to baseball

And the World as we know it,
Has been saved??
How's the arm Rob?
EH

My arm? Or his?

My arm: I can still get it back to him. Slightly (well, OK, a lot) more parabolic than in the past.

His arm: What's a parabola?

Rob, sorry to hear about the football loss. Hopefully he made it through football with no injuries and he'll have an awesome 2008 baseball season. Can't wait!

quote:

I can still get it back to him. Slightly (well, OK, a lot) more parabolic than in the past.

That's OK Rob. I need a cut-off man for long toss.

Rob:

Sorry to read about the loss - looked like a real heartbreaker in the paper.

Sizzlepop:

I've gone to the two bucket drill for long toss - he takes one full of baseballs to one end of the field, I take an empty to the other end... balls magically move from one end to the other on a series of one way tickets...

08

Back to baseball!!
Back it tis',...back indeed!!

Zippityy dooo dah!!! Hip hip hurray!!

( we actually ended our final senior football season a few weeks ago. )

Baseball season HERE we COME!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by 08Dad:
Rob:

Sorry to read about the loss - looked like a real heartbreaker in the paper.

Sizzlepop:

I've gone to the two bucket drill for long toss - he takes one full of baseballs to one end of the field, I take an empty to the other end... balls magically move from one end to the other on a series of one way tickets...

08

LOL! My son gets fielding practice along with long toss. He throws them in. I hit them back.

You are right, back to baseball and I couldn't be happier. Son's football team lost in the 2nd round of the state playoff's. He was pretty heart broken and also suffered a mild concussion during the game. He is cleared to start throwing and hitting today. His hs baseball coach also received two calls from the bigger colleges in Louisiana requesting a look at him. Can't wait until the season starts; there is nothing like baseball. I need to tell my husband about hitting the balls back, it kills me to watch him struggle in the long toss (of course, he would never admit that he struggles) LOL

quote:

Originally posted by louisiana09:
it kills me to watch him struggle in the long toss (of course, he would never admit that he struggles) LOL

I never admitted that I was struggling either - but when I was three hopping and a roll on the return throws - and had to take advil after playing long toss, it was pretty obvious I was no longer able to get the job done.... It's hell getting old...

quote:

Originally posted by 08Dad:


I've gone to the two bucket drill for long toss - he takes one full of baseballs to one end of the field, I take an empty to the other end... balls magically move from one end to the other on a series of one way tickets...

08

Thank you 08dad! You have just saved my weak arm (and ego) from being exposed.

quote:

Originally posted by RJM:
LOL! My son gets fielding practice along with long toss. He throws them in. I hit them back.

There you go, throw them back with a fungo bat. Sounds like a fair age equalizer to me.
After years of throwing all the bp to the teams, my shoulder just kind of rattles around in the socket.

It's catching his bullpens that is killing me, though. Just tearing my hand up. Usually get feeling back in most of my hand a few hours later. Left thumb doesn't grasp so well any more...

Sorry to hear about the loss Rob.

Long toss? Ha , I can hardly throw BP anymore! My shoulder is a bag of rocks.

I have to run up 30 yds. to get it to him on one bounce. 285' vs 185' is not a good match. Not only that even throwing that short of a distance hurts.

you all crack me up !

maybe we ought to be the ones taking the HGH?!

I'm joking on that last one but all of you have made me feel great today cause I'm not the only one. I still remember not that long ago when I could still out throw him, boy do things change fast ! I have no chance now ! I've had to cheat and we throw long toss on an artificial football field.....boy those rubber pellets make me look better than I am......that ball just keeps bouncing all the way to him....100+ yards away

When we play catch to warm up, I have to keep telling him to slow it down! (honestly, I just can't see the ball like I used to).

I think I'm paying for all those times I shot flamers at him when he was 8. LOL

Now I wonder if he believes my stories about my great glove from back in the day!! "yah right dad"

I'm just flattered you all seemed to assume that my parabolic throws back to my son were from long toss distance!

I hate to tell you how far apart we actually were!

These days, long toss works like this.

He goes to the outfield fence and I dump a bucket of balls at his feet.

I take the bucket and walk 100 feet towards home. Every 5 throws or so, I back up 10 feet. He throws, I catch, I put the balls back in the bucket. By the time I reach home plate we're done.

Throw it back to him? I can't even hit the cutoff man any more!

Hello guys. I had to chuckle when I read this. I am a mom, my son is an 09 C. My husband stopped being able to throw to my S about 3 yrs ago after which my husband suffered serious elbow and shoulder problems.

I especially liked Texan's comments about his troubles catching his son's bullpens. This summer while on vacation, my husband tried simply to catch throws from my S and nearly had his hand broken.

My hat is off to all you guys who work so hard with your sons.

Oh, now, catching bullpens is another story altogether.

I made it up to when he was 17, so I'll claim some credit. But I took a beating, and it didn't seem to matter how much equipment I wore, he found the spot where it wasn't.

Most folks think the speed is the tough part. Not so. And it's not even the breaking balls in the dirt -- I just bailed on those anyway. No, it's the darned late movement of those youth and high school, raised seam baseballs on the good old fashioned heater.

I had a 4-seam fastball run and hit me right on my big toenail one day. 10 pitches later, exact same thing happened again. I was in agony.

A few days later, the toenail came off completely.

It took over a year to grow back, and it grew back ingrown.

So, one visit to the podiatrist later, I have a healthy if somewhat smaller nail on that big toe.

And I don't catch any more.

I threw BP over the weekend; I had not thrown for some time.

We did not go to the normal batting cage at his old high school, but went to the local baseball field which has a batting cage. It was much smaller and was not netted correctly along the sides where the poles are and the L-screen was relatively small. After the first couple of buckets, he asked if I was ok, I said yes, he said between the small L-screen and the balls bouncing off the fences, he though I was a dead duck several times.

It was fun for me and I was not going to stop, I must have thrown 600 pitches over the weekend.

It was worth it and it paid off, he said that he hit really well today……

Hey I'll still squat down, and not even a mask. In fact the only gear I need is a screen.

quote:

Originally posted by Midlo Dad:
No, it's the darned late movement of those youth and high school, raised seam baseballs on the good old fashioned heater.

Ain't that the living truth!

Actually it is the two seamer that gets me...

down it goes
and ow my toes

I don't know what y'all are even talking about! Long-toss, schmong-toss. It is NO PROBLEM in the manly Northwest! We use a fully warranted, automatic long-toss machine..

..younger brother!

How to identify a pitcher's dad...

quote:

Originally posted by 08Dad:
down it goes
and ow my toes

...been there, done that

At least you still got yours!

quote:

Originally posted by j2h6:
I still remember not that long ago when I could still out throw him, boy do things change fast ! I have no chance now !

All I have left is one on one basketball. I still have the height and weight advantage for one more year. I can bull him to the hoop.

Midlo, you are correct. The breaking pitches are the toughest for us older catchers. I caught him up until his senior year. I'd roll the glove over, thinking I had the curveball in the web, only to get it right on my big toe.

I'd say "Nice break!"