- The goal was to get Rodriguez compact to the ball and have his core and hands work in unison. Long calls it “being connected."
- “You lose that connection with too much forward movement," says Long, 40, …”
- Rodriguez used to be bothered by a hip slide, which put him too far out in front of the ball.
- “We talked about being balanced and having that back foot being in place and driving the back knee down and through the baseball," Long says of the key adjustment.
- Rodriguez can complete his routine in about 10 minutes. It begins with tee work with a short bat, a 30-inch bat. First Rodriguez takes swings with the bottom hand, then the top hand, then both hands together on the bat. There are flip drills and soft toss. Regular batting practice follows.
- “Drills," Long surmises, “are the vitamins of the day."
And then the article wraps up with:
- “It's all about getting the connection.”
