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Let's give credit where credit is due! Please nominate any player who "Did his job" on the field extremely well in a single game this week.

This award will go out to the varsity baseball or softball player who demonstrates the best mental skills during single or multiple game performances this week. This means that he (or she) did a great job of playing up to his potential and giving his team the best chance he could to win. Please reply with your nominations on here or through my website with details about the outstanding individual performances, stating the player's name, his school (with City and State), the final score of the game, and why this performance was an outstanding display of his talent. The only difference between this and a typical player-of-the-week award is that the least talented player on the field should, in theory, have an equal chance to win this award as the most talented player.

I will select the winner every Monday, and will send that player, via his coach at school, a certificate of achievement, a free copy of one of the preview booklets (Approach, Focus, or Attitude) of my book, Finding Your Peak Performance with Mental Skills Training, a coupon for this book at cost ($10), and a framed poem titled "Do You Want to Be a Champion." This poem is posted on my website, CoachTraub.com, and is extremely popular with players I share it with. This award is UIL compliant. I will also include a note explaining how he won (who nominated him).

This award will not be given out solely on stats, although consideration will certainly be given to athletes who were "in the zone," as indicated by exceptional statistics. I am also looking for the athlete who does the "little things" right, displays leadership, and/or overcomes adversity -- whether from self, opponents, umpires, teammates, fans, bad luck, or whatever.

Enjoy your job. Know your job. Do your job!

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quote:
Originally posted by CoachTraub:
Let's give credit where credit is due! Please nominate any player who "Did his job" on the field extremely well in a single game this week.

This award will go out to the varsity baseball or softball player who demonstrates the best mental skills during single or multiple game performances this week. This means that he (or she) did a great job of playing up to his potential and giving his team the best chance he could to win. Please reply with your nominations on here or through my website with details about the outstanding individual performances, stating the player's name, his school (with City and State), the final score of the game, and why this performance was an outstanding display of his talent. The only difference between this and a typical player-of-the-week award is that the least talented player on the field should, in theory, have an equal chance to win this award as the most talented player.

I will select the winner every Monday, and will send that player, via his coach at school, a certificate of achievement, a free copy of one of the preview booklets (Approach, Focus, or Attitude) of my book, Finding Your Peak Performance with Mental Skills Training, a coupon for this book at cost ($10), and a framed poem titled "Do You Want to Be a Champion." This poem is posted on my website, CoachTraub.com, and is extremely popular with players I share it with. This award is UIL compliant. I will also include a note explaining how he won (who nominated him).

This award will not be given out solely on stats, although consideration will certainly be given to athletes who were "in the zone," as indicated by exceptional statistics. I am also looking for the athlete who does the "little things" right, displays leadership, and/or overcomes adversity -- whether from self, opponents, umpires, teammates, fans, bad luck, or whatever.
I nominate LHP Casey Selsor, who led San Antonio Reagan to a 6-4 victory over talented Smithson Valley HS on Wednesday night. SVHS was a formidable opponent which was until then tied for 1st place in District 26-5A. Casey had 13 K's and persevered with a complete game and a whopping 146 pitches. I was told that while the Reagan players practiced that morning and were told they could go home until later that afternoon, Casey stayed at the school the entire day to remain undistracted and get mentally prepared. Looks like his efforts paid off!
quote:
Originally posted by Infield08:
I nominate LHP Casey Selsor, who led San Antonio Reagan to a 6-4 victory over talented Smithson Valley HS on Wednesday night. SVHS was a formidable opponent which was until then tied for 1st place in District 26-5A. Casey had 13 K's and persevered with a complete game and a whopping 146 pitches.




ridiculous...poor kid!
my two cents on high pitch counts: I don't like them at all, but I blame the coaches (and "the system" for putting so much pressure to win on these coaches), not the kids. I respect the kid who competes and would not expect him to take himself out of a game because of a high pitch count. If he does, that's great and it takes a strong will, but I wouldn't expect that.
I have absolutely no reservations about leaving a kid in a game with a high pitch count.

I think pitch counts are pure garbage. I was a RHP in high school, threw at a good velocity(for high school), and had PROPER mechanics and I had no problem finishing games when my pitch count was in the hundreds.

My sophomore year when I was on JV, I pitched a complete game(7 innings, 143 pitches) in a win over Holmes(Wednesday night), then I joined the varsity the next morning(Thursday) for a tournament game and came in for middle relief and threw 20 more pitches that day(against Wimberly). The next day(Friday) I pitched 47 pitches in a 5 inning win over Seguin and Saturday I pitched to one batter(3 pitches for a strikeout) in relief(against Madison).

That is 217 in game pitches in 4 days. Saturday night I ran 4 miles. Sunday morning I ran 3 miles and Sunday night I ran 3 more miles and long tossed for a good 20 minutes.

Monday I only threw during warmups at practice and ran the rest of the time. Probably a goOd 4 miles that afternoon/evening.

Tuesday I lifted weights in the morning and ran 2 miles. Then on Tuesday night I pitched a complete game loss to Churchill's junior varsity team and threw 121 pitches that game.

Pitching is MORE mental than most think and good mechanics are invaluable. I have no problems with high school pitchers having pitch counts into the high 100's. No problem at all.
Last edited by SA5AB
Welcome to the HSBBWeb, SA5AB.

Apparently, scores of doctors, trainers, and coaches (at every level) have had it wrong all these years. "140 pitches a day keeps the doctors away". Now that the mystery is solved, the increased frequency of TJ surgery MUST be related to throwing sliders.

One question though.....can you lift your arm above your head?

Sorry to be sarcastic ----- there may have been something in my morning coffee.

Last edited by Panther Dad
pee dee - how many balls does your son throw in a practice ? How many days in a row does he pracice ? Pitch counts are not as important as what type of pitches your throwning AND sound mechanics. To many curves and sliders IMO will lead to problems down the road. My question to you - do you think HS coaches put more empahsis on throwing breaking pitches instead of mechanics and being able to hit what you throw at ?
Yes, coaches love breaking pitches because HS hitters can't hit them. It's simple really. Many coaches don't throw changeups -- why? Changeups are routinely listed as the hardest pitch to hit (by the best hitters). Changeups reduce the stress on the arm, turning 140 pitchers into 120. Changeups are required at the next level. Why not throw them? Because changeups are hit -- somewhere. If a ball is hit, bad things can happen. Smile Less chance of an error if the kid is walking back to the dugout.

Yes, HS kids that are 2-way players probably make too many throws. PSIII threw 100 on Thursday night and played SS last night. His arm wasn't 100% last night. It's a hazzard of HS baseball. Making 20 infield throw, 15 in between innings at 80%, seems to work for most HS players --- some DH following pitching outings.

I'm not dismissing the discussion --- it always perks things up here.
I supported high pitch counts. I use to regularly close a game on a Saturday of a tournament, then come back and throw a complete game the next day. I even could throw in 4 different games in a day. I could throw 120 pitches in my first outing of the year and then play SS the next game that day.

Now I can't. It takes its toll. The damage I inflicted upon myself (and this is where I tentatively agree with SA5AB) hurts me every time I step on the mound. Kids are not educated enough about what happens every time they pitch. Parents for the most part are not educated enough. We all want to win, but in the end baseball is a game, and coming close to at least two different surgeries would've impacted me and my family much more than in baseball... so is it worth it?

I apologize for contributing to this thread getting off track, but pitch counts are something that I feel can't truly be talked about enough. Whether someone disagrees with me or another person is irrelevant, through discussion everyone will become more aware.
Last edited by Dtiger
Dtiger - thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I don't see any way that high pitch counts and inadequate recovery time from pitching can do anything good for your arm/elbow or your long-term success with pitching. I have read too many of Dr. Andrew's reports to believe that there is NOT a correlation between elbow injury and pitch counts/recovery time....
Last edited by cheapseats
Excerpts from the following article -

http://www.mhsbca.org/pitchcount.htm

Children who pitch should be followed closely with a pitch count to avoid overuse injuries, regardless of how many innings they have pitched, Dr. Tracy Ray said at the annual meeting of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine.

This problem has been recognized for some time, and the recommendations come from an effort started in 1996 by USA Baseball, sponsor of the National Team and Olympic Team. The organization began its research by surveying 28 experienced orthopedic surgeons and baseball coaches. When asked what mattered in injury, the respondents overwhelming said that number of pitches and fatigue were more important than the number of innings.

The researchers videotaped some pitchers and brought 25 pitchers into a motion lab at Dr. Ray's institution. The completed questionnaires, as well as the tapes, showed that there really was not much meaningful difference in the mechanics of the different pitchers, and the investigators concluded that mechanics do not matter.

Recommended workload for young pitchers:
Age 15-16 - 90 per outing
Age 17-18 - 105 per outing
quote:
Originally posted by SA5AB:
Love the sarcasm on here but in the end the decision on a pitcher and how much he can pitch is solely up to the pitcher himself. Not mommy and daddy, not coach, and not arm specialists.

If the kid wants to pitch 200 a game and is still effective then so be it.


A post with very little truth, other than there is occasional sarcasm here. Cool
[quote]mechanics do not matter.[/quote PURE BS!! mechanics MATTER!!!

for the purpose of thier study mechanics didn't play a role because all the participants had good mechanics.



Here's my two cents...

Pitch counts will vary from player to player, depending on thier mechanics and how much "overthrowing" they do.
(example if a player throws 30 pitches as hard as he can and drops his elbow..increasing the strain on elbow...he will fatigue very quickly.)
once fatigued injury's become much more likely!

The other equasion here is recovery time. if the strained shoulder/elbow is not allowed to recover, you again run the high risk of injury. curveballs and sliders to me are less likely to strain elbows if the player is useing good mechanics.

No amount of running and stretching is going to make a strianed elbow fully recover overnight!!!

BTW... this should be moved off this topic!!!
Last edited by nortexbaseball
BT,

I don't know how my CB's and sliders are too many.

Probably different on a pitcher by pitcher, team by team, and game by game basis.

My son's are not pitchers, so my opinion will be different than yours.

And, I look at it from a team perspective.

What does the pitcher need to do to get outs?

My observation is that the slower a pitcher's fastball is, the more CB's and slider's he will throw.

I also have observed many second curve balls in the count launched like a rocket over the left field fence in Lubbock, Texas.

One of the coaches that my boys played for was a very good pitching coach. He had shown my son how to throw a slider and he could throw it very well.

But, he said, "We'll only use it if we have to."

"We'll throw the fastball and move it around on every pitch. We'll throw a circle change (with less stress on the elbow)for an off pitch, and we'll surprise in a tough situation with the slider."

I think he only threw two or three sliders in a game, and not many more circle changes than that.

But, the moving the fastball in and out worked.

So, I can't really tell if your high school coach is an idiot or your son doesn't have a fastball.

Could be both.

You're right nortex, it should be moved to another thread.

Sorry about that.
Last edited by FormerObserver
quote:
Originally posted by FormerObserver:

I think he only threw two or three sliders in a game, and not many more circle changes than that.

But, the moving the fastball in and out worked.



FO - I think you are making my point for me. A good fastball and change up - in out up down mixed in with a couple of CB / sliders is all you need. A pitcher who continues to throw cb after cb is not going to last. You are correct though, some HS coaches are idiots.

BTW - no pitchers in the family.
Here's 3 to consider:

Nico Taylor-McKinney North Senior right fielder
Thursday vs. Boyd:
2-3, 1 RBI, 3 runs scored, 1 double, 1 walk, 1 stolen base
Friday vs. Frisco Centennial:
3-5 with 2 home runs, including a grand slam, 8 RBI, 2 runs scored, 1 intentional walk.

For the week:
5-8, 9 RBI, 5 runs scored, 1 double, 2 walks, 1 stolen base

Trey Sorrells-McKinney North Senior catcher
Thursday vs. Boyd:
2-4, 4 RBI, 2 runs scored, 1 double,
Friday vs. Frisco Centennial:
4-5, 2 RBI, 3 runs scored

For the week:
6-9, 6 RBI, 5 runs scored, 1 double

AJ Florence-McKinney North Sophomore shortstop
Thursday vs. Boyd
1-2, 3 runs scored, 2 walks
Friday vs. Frisco Centennial
3-5, 3 runs scored, 3 RBI, 1 double, 1 walk

For the week:
4-6, 6 runs scored, 3 RBI, 1 double, 3 walks
Last edited by Old Pitcher
So if someone on your team goes 2-3 with 1 rbi and someone om Boyd goes 4-4 with two HR'S you feel your job is to nominate your school only and it's someone else's job to nominate the Boyd player. I could be wrong, but I thought the premise was to nominate the most deserving player.

OP, not trying to stir any feathers here but still trying to figure out how this whole nomination thing works.

An example I used earlier (and I have no dog in any fight) was North Dallas. They have some very talented kids on their team and have put up some good numbers yet I doubt there are many there who visit this site. My point being, if you guys play them or a team like them, I would think if you had a guy really excel that day against your team, it would be your job to nominate that young man. I think if it's always the home team nominating his own players it makes it a little biased and some players who truly deserve will not get recognized.

Just a bystanders opinion!
Last edited by thats-a-balk!
quote:
Originally posted by Four baseball:
Reckon Kerry Woods parents said anything to the coach about pitch counts? Lots of problems after HS abuse.

Someone can correct if I'm wrong, but I believe when Kerry was a senior at Grand Prairie and they were in the state tournament, Kerry was allowed to pitch two or part of two games in one day and pitched close to 200 pitches without a peep from the dad but the Cub scouts were there and they were outraged.
quote:
Couple of years back(I think'02) a stud pitcher from Southlake was kept in for one too many pitches and his father took him out of the game and away from SL Carrol. I guess the parents kind of do have a say in a way.


Benoit, 2004 already signed with OU,
got pulled in middle of inning by father.

Dtiger... you will still be denied! academic or relocation ..
Last edited by nortexbaseball
quote:
That's someone elses job. I nominate kids from our team who are deserving.


OP - so why do you break your arm congratulating and telling everyone else "in the inner circle" what great kids and players they are and NOT nominate someone who truly deserves the recognition. Is this only about the kids whose parents can and will post **** about their kids and team. There is so much a** kissing going on between some folks it is becoming a joke. You may not post alot about your son but your buddies cover for you and you cover for them. Does that make it more right? I personally would like to see more nominations for kids from N. Dallas or Bryan Adams but you won't see that for obvious reasons, just because they don't spend hours on the HSBBW does not mean they are not deserving. Maybe the criteria should be NOMINATE KIDS WHOSE PARENTS POST ON THE HSBBW - that way everyone will be interested and can post responses congratulating Dad on what a fine player he has.
Last edited by Ben There
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Old Pitcher:
Here's 3 to consider:

Nico Taylor-McKinney North Senior right fielder
Thursday vs. Boyd:
2-3, 1 RBI, 3 runs scored, 1 double, 1 walk, 1 stolen base
Friday vs. Frisco Centennial:
3-5 with 2 home runs, including a grand slam, 8 RBI, 2 runs scored, 1 intentional walk.

For the week:
5-8, 9 RBI, 5 runs scored, 1 double, 2 walks, 1 stolen base

Trey Sorrells-McKinney North Senior catcher
Thursday vs. Boyd:
2-4, 4 RBI, 2 runs scored, 1 double,
Friday vs. Frisco Centennial:
4-5, 2 RBI, 3 runs scored

For the week:
6-9, 6 RBI, 5 runs scored, 1 double

AJ Florence-McKinney North Sophomore shortstop
Thursday vs. Boyd
1-2, 3 runs scored, 2 walks
Friday vs. Frisco Centennial
3-5, 3 runs scored, 3 RBI, 1 double, 1 walk

For the week:
4-6, 6 runs scored, 3 RBI, 1 double, 3 walks[/QUOTE

OP
Come on. A 19-14 District game linescore with 34 hits = WEAK PITCHING. Stop trying to glorify it. It was pathetic.

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